The Nanny
by RamblesAndShambles9
Summary: The baby whisperer. someone needs a nanny and guess who shows up for the job.
1. Chapter 1

"You are here about the nanny position?" Carol was stunned. She was staring at the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He had a folder under his arm and he stuck his hand out for her to shake it. She took him all in, from the pushed back sunglasses on the top of his head. The leather jacket. The fitting jeans. Scruffy boots. The sexy smile. "You are D Dixon?"

"Yes... you were expecting someone else?" He asked her, he had sent through some references in an attachment clearly she hadn't read them because it would have read 'Daryl Dixon,' now he was standing there facing all sorts of awkward. He sighed and looked her up and down the slow way she looked him up and down checking him out.

"Um no," Carol was flustered the man in front of her. He just ozzed sex appeal, she looked at folder that could only be references and he was here to apply to be a nanny for her four year old daughter Sophia. "Come in... I just have to make a phone call... um ..." She opened the door wide to let him pass by her, she caught a whiff of a musky aftershave and her eyes trailed down his backside. Get a grip Carol he's here for a job as a nanny not on a date and after her last experience dating she wasn't looking for a man at all.

"Daryl ... Daryl Dixon," he handed her his card. Daryl Dixon - the baby whisperer.. Carol turned the card over in her hand and gave a small smile.

She looked at it and he just shrugged, it started off as a joke when his friends with kids used to ring him at all times of the night to come settle their upset babies. He would show up and within two minutes he would have a sleeping baby in his arms. Something about him that babies and young children were attracted too. His friends started pimping him out at playgroups and baby classes and soon he had a steady stream of clients begging him to help them with their babies and toddlers. He made more money that he ever knew he could - doing basically nothing but holding a baby and playing with a toddler and putting them to bed on a routine. He didn't know parents were willing to pay just about anything for sleep.

He was between jobs right now and he wanted to hang around town while his brother and wife needed him. The job said week day's only, live in nanny position. That suited him. He would help Merle on a Saturday with his family while his wife was busy with her sick father. Her father had a full time carer during the week but at the weekend Merle knew he couldn't cope with his six kids alone. Daryl teased him that he made them, Merle begged him and told him he'd fix up his Harley for him. Daryl agreed. He was going to anyway he just wanted to make Merle sweat.

Carol indicated the kitchen table for him to sit at. She went to pick up the phone to ring her neighbour to let her know that she was alone in the house with a strange man. She turned the card over in her hand to tell the details to the person on the other end of the phone. She watched him take a seat at the table, he tossed his C.V on it and he was now studying his own finger nails.

Sophia come running into the room holding onto a pair of pj shorts. She was in her knickers and her shirt was flapping open because she still had trouble with buttons, she stopped in front of Carol who tried to tell her to cover herself and she was on the phone, indicating to give her a few more seconds. Sophia stared at Daryl. He made a gesture for her to come to him, he did the buttons up and took the shorts and held them out to step into. He shook her hand and introduced himself, he was treated to a rare smile.

Sophia run off again through the house. Carol sighed, she was supposed to be in bed already and it was the forth change of pj's she had been in. Sophia did this every night and it was exhausting for everyone. Sophia come out again with a book and climbed right onto his knee and Carol watched as her daughter with amazement, this was the little girl who was normally scared of men sat there leaned into him and listened to him reading the book at the kitchen table. The whole exchange happened while she was on the phone.

She could hear the low soft tones of his voice as he read the story. Sophia looked like she was settling in for the night on his knee. The little girl was supper tired and Carol couldn't believe her eyes as she shut them and fell asleep on Daryl's knee. Carol was gutted that she just did that for a complete stranger, sleeping confidently on his knee. For the past week she had been chasing Sophia around the house well after eleven and one story and a gentle sway of the legs she was out. She looked at the card again it said baby whisperer- it should say 'Sandman!'

She just filled her neighbour Sasha in that she had a guy apply for a nanny via email and he was at the house so keep an ear and eye out just in case. Daryl lifted Sophia up in his arms to help Carol put her to bed. He followed her through the house and put her in the bed in an all pink bedroom. He looked about as he went. The house was in chaos, boxes like they had just moved in. He tried not to notice the dirty dishes in the sink and he certainly wasn't staring at the sway in her arse as she walked ahead of him taking the little girl to her bed. Carol walked back down the hall following him back to the kitchen trying not to stare at his butt in his molded jeans she was thinking she was mad for even considering having a male nanny, especially a hot male nanny.

"So you're not going to hire me are you?" he asked her.

"Its not that... I um I never even considered having a nanny that was a guy, all her nanny's have been female."

"All her nanny's?" He arched an eyebrow. "How many nanny's has she had?"

"She had too many to count. She's a bit of a handful," Carol told him, he was nodding. She went to the kitchen bench to make a coffee so they could chat. "How many people have you nanny'd for?"

"Quite a few, I just kinda fell into it," Daryl wondered if it was actually worth telling her it all, "Look I need a job, I'm in town helping my brother for a while. I need something live in, if I'm wasting my time here I need to go see if there's a job at the local bar or something," he blurted out. "Hundred of kids, babies... hundreds of references."

"Hundreds? Why so many." She asked him.

"Well sometimes they just wanted me for a week to show them how to settle their baby or help out with a new born,' Daryl shrugged, 'I haven't ever done a full time eight to five gig,' he told her, 'I've got a website, take a look and see for yourself. I go into homes work with families and then I leave.'

'Like the super nanny?'

'Not really like the sleepy nanny or the toilet training nanny or the mummy needs you to sleep before she screams nanny," Daryl told her. He pulled out his phone and tapped in. "Here," He turned it so it displayed his website, he handed her his file. "So have a look and ask me questions," She was shocked when she saw his site and how disappointed people appeared to be when he said he was taking six months of for family business. Women after women posting asking when he would be free so they could use his service.

"So are ya interested? You look interested," Daryl asked her.

"I'm interested, I guess I was a bit shocked that a guy wanted the job," she told him. "Its live in, I'm a doctor at the local practice and its from eight to five thirty, live in. If I get called out on an emergency or something I need someone in the house." He sat listening to her as she went to pour a coffee.

"My sister inlaw... you know her? Michonne... she's a doctor at that practice too."

"Of course I know Michonne, I love Michonne... you are Uncle D?" Carol slowly put two and two together with who Daryl was. He was famous, she had heard the story about him from Michonne and now she had him sitting at her kitchen wanting to move in and help her with Sophia. Daryl the baby whisper... Daryl the man that parents paid big money to have an hour of his time. She looked around her little three bedroom house. Daryl was loaded, she didn't know why he was even applying for a job with her that paid less in one week than he got in one day working with other families.

Yes she wanted him - To be Sophia's nanny. She took him all in trying to see if he was anything like his brother. Michonne trusted him she should too. He would be perfect for the job and hopefully then her stalker would get the message she was not available.

"If you want to work here... I can't afford to pay much, the mortgage and things." Carol told him. "I'm a single mother, its not going to be what you are used too."

Daryl gave her a look, she didn't know what she was used too and he was just looking for somewhere to stay also. "So is there a Mr Carol?" Daryl always wanted to know who to expect to be visiting. The place looked like there was no guy involved.

She shook her head. "She's IVF, I thought I was getting older and had no interest in men so..."

"You a..." Daryl asked she knew he was asking if she was a lesbian.

She shook her head, "No, just ... I haven't had the best of luck with guys. I'm not dating anyone either if that's your next question. I dated this guy last year and it wasn't flash, he... he... he always seems to show up where I am and it freaks me out, so it will be nice to have a male about if he decides to stop by."

"Stalker?" Daryl's eyes narrowed.

"I went on two dates and he gave me the creeps so I said no the next time and now... if I go to the store he's there, I shifted out of my old place because I'm sure he had keys or something."

Daryl's eyes narrowed he didn't like guys like that.

"Its ok, he's left us alone now we moved and nothing been shifted. So when can you start?" Carol asked him still not believing her luck.

Daryl smiled at her she was really cute and sexy and she had no idea. He was going to be in town for a while and he didn't care if she had a kid and he was defiantly interested in a working relationship. It had been a very long time since anyone sparked his interest like she did. He was going to just sit back and see if she was interested in him, by the way her eyes kept going to him he could tell she was so it could be mutually beneficial to both of them.

Her phone was ringing and she went to answer it and he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch to look around. There was a nice yard and it could do with a sand pit or play house. He watched a car drive past, the guy was looking up the drive. He pulled to a stop parked across the drive. Daryl stood there looking at him as he marched up the drive. He looked really really mad. He gave off a really bad vibe.

"Who are you?" the man demanded.

"Who are you, I was invited you clearly are not," Daryl took a sip on his coffee staring the man down.


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl assumed a casual pose as he took his sip of coffee looking at the man who was trying to confront him. He had walked right up to Daryl and was demanding to know who he was.

"Why are you at my girlfriends house?" the man demanded. Daryl stared at him while he started telling Daryl that they both were living there caring for their daughter Sophia and Carol wouldn't have invited another man onto their property. Daryl didn't know for a brief moment if the man was serious or delusional. He then quickly figured out he was just a regular stalker who was trying to make him leave so he could keep stalking Carol. Daryl being there was going to muck up his stalking ability to keep tabs on her. He looked worried that now there was a man on Carol's porch.

"Honey - we have a guest,"Daryl called out loud enough for her to hear him.

Carol stilled inside the house. Daryl just called her Honey and the word guest. She looked out the window and could see Daryl in a confrontation with her stalker. Ed Fucken Peletier. That man just couldn't get a hint. Her hands started shaking slightly and she didn't want to go out there and face the man that had been following her around town for months. It was starting to get so bad that she had considered moving town. The local police couldn't do anything because he always showed up on public property, but tonight he showed up at the house she had only been living in for a week.

The only thing she could think of was that he followed her home and followed her to the baby sitter that had been looking after Soph short term until she went back to college in two weeks. It made her feel slightly sick to find out that he must have followed her around town until she made it back to her house. She quickly made friends with the neighbour and filled her in. The women lived with her husband and gave Carol the phone number to ring or call out at any time. Daryl seemed to be dealing with the man now outside with little issue.

Carol knew it was her chance and she picked up the phone and made a call to the local police for them to come and see that he was now on her property uninvited. They would come quickly because they were trying to get him for a while now but he seemed to stalk in a way that never got him into trouble. Daryl standing on her porch had brought him out and he broke his own rules.

"Baby... Carol honey - you told me this loser wasn't bothering you anymore," Daryl called out again, Ed's face paled Daryl noticed with the names Daryl was calling into the house.

Carol hung up the phone and she knew she had no choice but to go along with whatever line Daryl was spinning him. She open the door and made a bee line straight to Daryl. It was weird that she'd only known him half an hour but she trusted him. He worked out who Ed was and was giving him a few quick pointed and implying that he and her were a couple. She really had no idea how this was all going to play out but she wanted to get rid of Ed once and for all and get on with her life. Also they needed to keep him there long enough for him to be there when the police arrived.

Daryl held his arm out for her to slip into his side as she come out to the porch like it was something they had done hundreds of times. She pressed herself up against his side showing intimacy between them as she wrapped her arms around his waist leaning on him. He tucked his hand into the back of her jeans and pressed a slow kiss on her temple, he gave her the look was to let him handle it. She didn't know how but she knew he was going to handle it all. All she could feel was his fingers stroking her arse inside her jean's pocket.

"Look Ed I'm sure you don't want no trouble so you best be off out of here before I call my good friend officer Grimes to come haul your arse off for trespassing," Daryl told him.

"Who are you?" Ed spluttered.

"Boyfriend, lover, partner, room mate, sex mate, I live here so if you don't mind we just got Soph to bed and its... well we were just about to take a shower..." Daryl told him. "Right babe..."

"Hm and bed, we were getting an early night... were you here for anything special?" She tossed Ed a quick look. Her hand started tugging Daryl's shirt out of his jeans and she started stroking the skin between his pants and tee shirt on his side. She knew Ed could see what she was doing. She could also feel Daryl's skin getting goose bumps. He gave a low chuckle at her. Carol was way out of her league here, she didn't know if she wasn't jumping out of the fat and into the fire with Daryl. He was related to Merle and Michonne and she was friends with Michonne so things should work out ok.

Ed turned and stalked away then come back up to them. Daryl had already turned knowing that the man was going to come back, he could tell. He put his free hand behind her head and leaned in to kiss her. Carol leaned into him and her hand drifted out of his shirt and onto his arse. She lost track of time and space, all she knew that this kiss was different and it was freaken hot. She couldn't help but moan into his mouth and he pushed his groin against her. She didn't know if Ed was still watching them or not she was too caught up in kissing Daryl.

His hand was on her arse and the other was touching her breast on top of her clothes. She didn't care she was on her front porch for everyone to see. She could hear coughing in the distance and she almost cried when Daryl pulled back and turned his head to the path.

"So you got the job then?" Merle Dixon was standing there dressed in his uniform with Rick Grimes at his side, Ed was being restrained by Rick and all three men were staring at the display on the porch. Carol took a quick step back from Daryl like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Her face flaming.

"Evening Officer Grimes, Officer Dixon." Carol said. "Um."

"Get him out of here," Daryl told them, he walked down the steps to talk with Rick while Merle put him in the cop car. Carol stood there and Merle come back to get a quick statement. Again she told them he had been stalking her for about six months, this time he come onto the property and tired to intimidate Daryl and her. Merle was taking it all down asking questions and then his last question made her smile.

"And at what stage did you think it was a good idea to kiss Daryl Dixon?" Merle asked innocently as if he was taking her statement.

"Oh Merle nice try," Daryl come up slapped his brother on his back and Carol blushed again. Carol took off into the house to leave Daryl to sort the rest of the issues out. Hopefully this would mean the end of Ed but now she had another problem. It was a dull ache between her legs and she wanted to kiss her nanny again.

Ten minutes later Daryl come inside. Carol was loading the dishwasher and Daryl started clearing up some of the stuff lying about. He folded little girls clothes that seemed to be everywhere. He looked at every item checking if it was clean or not. He picked up a purple lacy bra by the straps and dangled it. It was sexy but he had no idea how it got into the lounge. Carol saw him carrying it over to the table to fold up with the clothes he was putting there.

"Sophia was wearing it over her clothes... I don't fling bra's about," she told him.

"Um ok... should I be expecting matching panties?" Daryl asked. Carol narrowed her eyes and gave him a look that implied he would never find out. Together they cleaned up the living space. There still were a great deal of boxes about. Carol told him she would get to them eventually but she just hadn't had much time.

"So do you want to see your room?" she asked him. "We all share a bathroom, so I guess we need to work out a system or something,"

"I'ma fine, I shower before bed... sometimes in the morning," he told her. "You?"

"Mornings before work... nights too because of my job... I don't feel clean or feel like I have peoples bugs on me. Sophia I don't really have a schedule for anything. Sometimes she gets showered or bathed twice a day and sometimes nothing so... I don't have a schedule for anything."

"You want her on a schedule?" Daryl asked. He'd gone out to get his pack which he'd left by his bike. He put it on the floor by the bed. Carol come in with blankets and sheets and together they made the bed up for him to sleep in. "What do you want?"

"I want her to be happy... thats all really, and..." Carol stopped.

"And?"

"It's stupid."

"I've heard everything,"

"Well... I'd like her to not think I'm a bad mom," Carol finally admitted.

"I'm sure you're not,"

Carol stared at him for a few minute. "I'm a good doctor, I'm not so good at the mom stuff, she bit a kid at play group last week and has a two week ban. She also drawn all over the walls in her room we only been here a few weeks."

"So... we work on it, the no biting thing and work on no drawing on walls alright, I've got it. You just let me know what you want and I mean if you think of anything else you want let me know, I've my whole calendar open." He stood staring at her and she had no doubt of what he was implying. She nodded.

"Um good night then," She told him and started to walk out the door.

"Carol... wait. That kiss..." Carol turned and nodded, "It was something else right? It wasn't just me..."

"It can't happen again," Carol told him. Yeah you keep telling yourself that Carol. She left and went to her own room hoping her batteries were fully charged on her vibrator she was going to need it tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl's alarm went off at six thirty and he fumbled about pulling on running shorts and a tee shirt. He was going to take a quick run then a shower and hopefully figure out what the heck was going to happen today. He didn't know if he was starting today or if it was a get to know you day. He had never actually been a full time nanny before so he didn't know if he was just going to hang out with Carol and Sophia getting to know her or if Carol had to work. Carol was hot and he wouldn't have minded spending the day getting to know her.

He stretched as he walked down the hall into the kitchen surprised to see Carol sitting there reading the paper and drinking coffee while picking at toast. She had a robe on and he could tell by the way it fell that she wasn't wearing much underneath. It was clear by her surprise she wasn't expecting anyone to join her so early in the morning. It looked to him that she was enjoying the calm before the storm. He wondered just what a handful Sophia was that she had been going though so many nanny's.

"Mornin'." he said. He bent over to tie up his shoes, "I'ma gonna run then come back. What are we doing today"

"I'm working, I'll get you to drop me off at about eight thirty and pick me up around five." Carol told him looking down at him getting the full view of him bent over in his shorts. She tried to avert her eyes, he glanced back at her and caught her staring at his butt, she quickly moved her eyes back to her paper. "Um will you be ok with Sophia?"

"Sure we will be best friends by the time you get home." Daryl told her. He stretched in front of her. "Write a list of the shit you want me to do and I'll do it," Carol managed to nod and give a mumbled comment as he stretched giving her a glimpse of a toned stomach as he lowered his arms again. He gave her a quick nod before he headed out the door.

"Oh my fucken god," Carol groaned putting her head on the paper she was reading. Banging it on the paper over and over again once she saw him disappearing down the road. She needed to stop her brain from feeling the lustful things about this man who had just moved into her house. He was the nanny - not a sex toy. She headed over to the the phone and went through her list of contact numbers dialing a familiar one. "Hey 'Chonne, met me early you gotta fit me in for a five minute consult this morning. Eight thirty... no nothing. See you... yes everything is fine."

Carol hung up the phone and went to take a shower before Daryl arrived back hot and sweaty and wanted in the shower, she let her mind go there for one minuted. So far so good; Sophia was still sleeping. Carol set her robe and towel out on the hooks in the bathroom ready for her when she finished showering. Last thing she wanted to have happen was to be caught naked doing a run to her bedroom to get dressed. Something she often did do. She had just been standing there letting the water fall over her for ten minutes when she heard the bathroom door open and tiny feet shuffle in to use the toilet.

"Morning Sophia." Carol greeted her, she stuck her head out of the door looking at her.

"Hmm." Sophia said grumpy.

"Daryl's going to be your nanny, you remember him from last night?" Carol asked.

'No.' Sophia told her.

'Yes, and you know he's Uncle Merle's brother... and Aunty Michonne,' Carol called out to her as she heard her wash her hands and stomp out down the hall. She left the bathroom door wide open and Carol heard the tv switch on. She also heard Daryl's low tones talking to her. Shit. She heard him walk past the bathroom and she caught a whiff of male scent waft into the bathroom.

'Um Daryl!' She called out, she heard his feet shuffle back.

'Yeah?' Daryl stood outside the open door.

'Can you um... shut the door for me? Please.' Carol asked.

'Aw I thought this was some sort of thing you did, showering with the door open.'

'Not today... not today. Sophia come in.' Carol was still standing there naked and wet off trying to explain why she was showering with the bathroom door open. She was thankful she wasn't sitting on the toilet and Soph had left the door open. She had turned the shower off and she was still waiting for him to shut the door. 'Um door,' she looked down at herself and her nipples were rock hard because of the cold. 'Please? or pass me a towel.' He was enjoying this she was sure she could hear the amusement in her voice.

She heard a low chuckle and the door shut. She stepped out and grabbed her towel wrapping it tight around her self. She used the end to dry her hair and then forgot about her robe and stepped out the door. Daryl was leaning against the wall waiting for her to finish.

"Mornin'." Was all he said as he looked her up and down, his eyes going to the bottom of the towel were drops of water were trickling down her legs.

"Um there's still hot water." She told him.

"That's ok... I might need a cold shower now." He was actually trying to flirt. Carol just turned her heel and walked into her bedroom and shut the door and leaned against it. She heard Daryl laugh as he shut the bathroom door.

He was going to be the death of her. The way he smelt, the way he looked, the way his shirt rode up when he balanced her daughter on his hip when she was having a tantrum about not getting in the car to drop her mama off to work. He had it all going on and was pretty much was the full package. Her eyes took one last look as she waved them good bye. He was holding Sophia's hand in the car park telling her they would pick her up after five. She'd given him a shopping list for the supermarket and some cash, she prayed that Sophia would be a good girl for him. She really really did need a nanny and she really really needed to get laid, or get new batteries for her vibrator. It had been seven long years since anyone had passed her by that she wanted to take on a personal tour of her bedroom.

She was in the nurses room opening and shutting drawers when Michonne come in looking for her. Carol stood up and hid something behind her back, Michonne narrowed her eyes when she saw Carol doing that. Carol didn't want to tell Michonne what she was doing it was bad enough she was asking the other doctor in the practice to do something for her but she knew Michonne would tease her. She couldn't help it she just knew that there was something between her and Daryl that was based on sexual tension.

"If you are stealing drug's I will have to report you." Michonne joked.

"Its... um samples." Carol said looking guilty.

"What kind of ... um samples."

Carol brought condom samples from behind her back and waited for Michonne to say something. Michonne just nodded. Michonne walked to another cupboard and pulled out more samples. She grabbed a plastic bag for putting med's in and started putting single serve condoms in it. She handed about twenty in the bag to Carol.

"I knew you would like him, I still don't know why you wouldn't come meet him at Christmas and then New Year the year after." Michonne said. Michonne had been trying to set her up with her brother in law for as long as they knew each other. "So what's this I hear about kissing?"

"Nothing really, Ed the stalker come over and we were trying to get rid of him."

"The way I hear it that Rick Grimes was going to call the fire department to turn the hose on you two," Michonne teased. "Now tell me why I had to come into work so early if not only to spring you stealing condoms."

"You need to give me a jab." Carol whispered.

"Birth control?" Michonne asked, Carol nodded.

"Do you need the morning after?" Michonne asked.

"I don't need anything... Its just in case..."

"Just in case birth control." Michonne nodded she was surprised that Carol was coming to her for help with birth control she kept things pretty close to her chest about everything. "Come into my lair and I'll do your blood pressure."

"It will be through the roof I saw him in a bath towel this morning." Carol whispered.

"Oh I know, those brothers together this summer at the lake turned some heads."

"Does he... sleep around at lot?" Carol asked her.

"As far as I know he's been single for a while. I never even known him to have a one night stand. If he does he's never discussed it with Merle and Merle would tell me." Michonne pumped her arm checking the blood pressure. "When you last have a smear?"

"A few months ago and I don't want you looking up there," Carol whispered. Michonne tapped into her computer pulling up Carol's name checking on her file to make sure she wasn't lying.

"Ok, now all you have to do is decide what butt cheek you want it in," Michonne teased her as she left to go get the injection. She come back and Carol dropped her pants for the shot. "Now you know this is three months, you will need to come back and get another one should you want to keep using birth control. Also it won't be an effective measure for a week. So use condoms if you are having sex... have you stolen enough? Should I steal you more?" Michonne bit her lip trying not to giggle.

"You are not very profession, I hope you treat your other patients better than this." Carol hissed at her.

"My other patients are not trying to fuck the nanny who happens to be my brother inlaw."

"What's that man doing?" Sophia asked Daryl pointing to a man in his underpants standing in the middle of the street with a fishing rod. He was wearing a fishing hat and had bait and everything. He was trying to direct the traffic while fishing in the middle of the intersection. Daryl had seen everything he thought but good old Ed was bat-shit crazy by the looks of things. Daryl drove slowly past recognizing the man from last night. He was wearing a thong and Daryl just hoped Sophia wouldn't ask why his butt cheeks were staring out at them all.

"He's fishing Soph." Daryl tried not to laugh as the man cast his fishing rod looking like he was fishing at a lake or something. He noticed he had a dead fish baited on the end. He was jumping up and down as he thought he caught a brand new fish. He unhooked it and put it in the bucket at his side. Daryl almost wanted to pull over and enjoy the show.

"He caught a fish? Can we go fishing?" Sophia asked from her car seat turning her head. "I can see his bum!"

"Yeah look at that birdie flying past. Did you see it?" Daryl tried to distract her. Ed was fucken crazy he hoped he didn't come to the house again dressed like that. He pulled over to call his brother.

"No... why does he have his bum hanging out?" Sophia didn't let it go.

"I don't know," He dialed his brothers number to tell him about Ed fishing in a g-string in the middle of the street, fishing and actually catching fish. His brother said that Ed must be off his meds and they would have to take him off to the phyc unit.

"But why does he have a hairy bottom?" Sophia asked again.

Daryl glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "Because some people are hairy and some are not."

"Oh... are you allowed to fish without water?" Sophia was full of questions.

"Um if you want too you can." Daryl laughed. He pulled into the supermarket car park wondering how many people Sophia was going to tell about the hairy bum man fishing in the middle of town and what her mother would say when they picked her up.


	4. Chapter 4

"Good morning Sophia." A women greeted Sophia at the supermarket. Daryl had plonked her in the trolley because she kept wandering off, and the forth time he chased her down the isle he decided enough was enough. He pushed her down the cereal isle pointing out the different types and was trying to get her to choose when an older lady come up behind them and started talking to Sophia. She was still pouting and sulking with her hands over her face ignoring the women talking to her.

"Sophia," Daryl pulled her hands away, "Say hello," Daryl growled her.

He didn't know who the old lady was but she clearly knew Sophia. Everyone seemed to know Sophia and were talking to her every isle he had walked down with her. So far so good and he hadn't had to offer who he was or why he had her. Small towns were nosy usually and apparently Sophia had been passed around a few different nanny's lately so they become used to seeing her out with different people. He'd noticed to old couple stalking him a few isles over and he'd smiled at them. They had been following him with Sophia and now the women had walked up ignored him and spoke to Sophia.

"Hellow Grandma." Sophia said she didn't even raise her head to look at the old lady and clearly didn't have a grandmother granddaughter relationship with her. Daryl took another glance at the man who stopped a wee way away and appeared to not be too interested in what was going on with Sophia and her grandma. Daryl wondered if it was someone Sophia even knew that well.

"Hello beautiful girl, who's looking after you today?" She looked at Daryl expectantly like he should be giving her id or something. "Is Mama at work?"

The older lady smiled at Daryl and her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Um I'm Daryl... I'm the nanny." He held his hand out to shake her hand, she just looked at it seeing a couple of tattoos on his arm placed here and there. She didn't reach out to touch his hand so Daryl shook Sophia's hand instead as she was holding her hand out for him to shake too.

"The nanny?: She looked shocked that Daryl had just told her he was the nanny. Daryl wondered if she was going to grab Sophia out of the trolley or not. "Carol hired a man to look after her daughter?"

"Yes." Daryl waited, "We just getting some food in and we just dropped your mama off at work, didn't we Soph?" Daryl started to push the trolley, "We will tell Carol we saw you but we have a list of jobs as long as my arm and I promised Sophia we would go look at some stuff to build a sandpit."

"We saw a man with a hairy bum fishing in the street." Sophia told her grandma. "His underpants only had a front on them. Daryl said he called the police to take him away."

Daryl wanted to groan and put his hand over Sophia's mouth so far they were not making a good impression on Carol's mother. He wanted to get moving around the store and carry on without having to deal with anything to do with her mother until he found out all about her relationship with them. Sophia didn't seem over thrilled to see her grandma like most kids did seeing them. This led him to believe that maybe they didn't spend a great deal of time with Sophia which seemed odd seeing they clearly all lived in the same area. The old lady didn't seem happy about anything at all.

"Ok Sophia say goodbye and we need to keep going and get the stuff mama needs," Daryl smiled and tried to push off with Sophia.

"I'm not keen on Sophia having a male nanny... its not right." She followed Daryl down the isle. He held up some cereal for Sophia to agree on and he tossed it in the trolley, he rolled his neck wondering if he was going to have enough patience to deal with what ever drama was going to happen next. He just knew something was about to blow up.

"Well Carol thinks its ok and its really up to her on who she has caring for Sophia." Daryl told her politely.

"I think we are going to have to call the social services about this." The older lady said. "Fred... Fred..." She called the older gentleman who was standing near by watching what was going on. Daryl had no idea that that was Carol's father. He looked like a real kill joy and Sophia didn't appear to even know who he was. "Its not right Carol using this man to look after Sophia... its not proper. Carol clearly has no idea on the right way to raise a child and we need to sort this all out."

"I told you Penny, when Carol went of on her hair dazed dream I wasn't going to be involved." The man said, he looked Daryl up and down and walked off.

"Fred! We can't leave her with a stranger." Carol's mother called after him. "A man from god knows where who probably answered one of her crazy adds for a nanny." She thought she was whispering but it carried the whole isle. Daryl kept walking and she chased after him to try take Sophia. 'I demand you give her to me right now.' She went to take Sophia physically out of the trolley. Daryl sighed because he knew this wasn't going to end well. Someone one would call the police and Carol would have to come down here and let them all know he was allowed to be with Sophia all because of Carol's mother not agreeing with men looking after small girls.

"Sorry you can't take her." Daryl said quietly he pulled Sophia out of the trolley and onto his hip. He didn't want to scare Sophia and the old women was starting to scare her. He stared the older women down. "I take my job seriously and I've been entrusted with her care and you will have to prize her out of my cold dead hands to take her."

"Fred call the police." Penny called after her husband, she pulled her phone out of her bag to call. Daryl pushed the trolley off and looked at his list. He hoped he didn't have to get anything frozen because it would probably melt by the time they got out of the store. He pushed the trolley down getting toilet paper, razors for himself. He was conned into the toy isle by Sophia and they picked up some colouring pencils and books when Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh strolled into the store to find the kidnapper.

"Daryl Dixon did you steal that little girl?" Shane Walsh asked. Daryl just rolled his eyes and Shane held out his hands and Sophia moved freely to his arms. She knew both Rick and Shane because they often were out at Merle's place and she and her mum went there for bbq's and things. They had known Sophia for a long time and Shane lived down the street from Carol and she had called on him a few times to watch her in the night if she had been called out on an emergency. Shane was her last call baby sitter. Sophia and Shane had a don't tell don't ask thing going on that they both at junk food and didn't tell Carol when Shane baby sat. "Hello my princess, the sweet isle is this way," Shane wandered off looking for treats with Sophia while Rick had to question Daryl.

"Carol is on her way to vouch for you. We have to do it by the book because the old people are watching." Rick told Daryl. Daryl sighed and folded his arms across his chest. All he needed now was for Carol to have a run in with her parents in the middle of the store. The minutes started to tick by and he could see Sophia holding Shanes hand heading to the check out. Carol's parents were off to the other side talking with Merle who from what they could hear wafting over that they were stating that Daryl had kidnapped Sophia. Maybe Ed wasn't the only crazy person in town.

"He better not fill her up on crap and leave me to deal with the after flow of it." Daryl muttered looking at Shane paying for some chocolate and feeding it to Sophia.

"Probably, he always gives her chocolate, that's the only reason she likes him." Rick laughed. "You should see what he gives Carl."

"Hm, what's the deal with Carol's olds?"

"They basically cut her off when she decided to have a baby alone. They are old school. You get married, have kids, stay at home with your kids. And having a male nanny probably just was the icing on the cake." Rick told him.

They saw Carol coming through the doors and stopping to talk with Sophia. She threw one glance in her parents direction and walked right up to Daryl. She searched his face trying to gage if he was really annoyed with it all and she looked relieved when she saw he didn't look too annoyed about the whole situation.

"Is everything ok? They didn't say nasty things to her?" She asked him in a rush.

"They didn't say anything nasty to her. She just didn't think it was right me looking after her and she tried to take her. I didn't let them so they rung the police." Daryl told him. "Like I'm front in center of a child kidnapping ring or something but first I like to go out in full display at the supermarket. Can we go now?"

"Sure. Do I need to do anything?" Carol asked Rick.

"Carol is Daryl your nanny?" Rick asked.

"Yes." Carol rolled her eyes. Daryl nodded and pushed his trolley off to the check out to pay. Carol watched him walk over and start putting stuff through. Sophia was hanging off him and Carol couldn't help wonder if her ovaries were exploding at the sight of him stroking the hair off Sophia's face and doing up the button on her jacket. Carol let out a big sigh. Rick was watching her watch Daryl.

"Ok... If I think of any other questions I'll ring you," Rick had a smirk on his face.

"What sort of questions?" Carol narrowed her eyes looking at Rick knowing he was teasing her.

"Oh... when Lori finds out you have a male nanny she's going to want lots of questions answered." Rick teased her. Carol threw him a dirty look and went to join them at the check out. She had run the two blocks there and Daryl was going to drop her back off after he put the food in the trunk. Carol buckled Sophia into her seat. Sophia grabbed her mums face.

"We saw a man fishing with a hairy bum."

"Did you now - was that funny?" Carol wondered where she saw that and if she was going to have to go to the hospital to assess someone.

"He was fishing in the street with a hairy bum and a fish."

"That's nice Soph, I'm just going to talk to Daryl for a minute." Carol kissed the tip of her nose and went to talk to Daryl as he loaded the last few things into the car.

"Sorry about... all this... my parents don't agree with me having Soph."

"I got that message." Daryl moved the trolley and it banged into her left bum cheek. Carol made a ouch noise and rubbed it. "Sorry I barely touched you."

"I know its just it got a ..." Carol just stopped talking.

"A... what?"

"I hurt it."

"How?"

"I just did ok."

"Sure if you want me to take a look at it later I will ok... I'm good at looking at ... ouchies..." Daryl's mouth tried to stop the smirk but his eyes were dancing.

"I bet you do." Carol said to his retreating back as he went to put the trolley away.


	5. Chapter 5

"Carol... your nanny is on the phone," The receptionist phoned through to her office. She was just writing notes. She really hopped he wasn't quitting because she only had calls from the nanny's in the past was for them telling her they couldn't cope with Sophia. She picked up the phone with a nervous feeling in her stomach.

"Hello..." She said into the phone.

"Guess what... we building a sand pit and Daryl made dinner. Chicken brook bruk bruk," Sophia blurted into the phone. Carol smiled she'd never spoken to Sophia on the phone before. "We going to pick you up and go get sand."

"Have you done it already?" Carol asked her daughter, she couldn't stop the grin a mile wide on her face because Daryl thought to have Sophia talk on the phone and let her know the plans. No one ever thought to have Sophia ring her before. She didn't realize how cute her voice was, she could hear her still making chicken noises into the phone.

"Bye." Sophia said, Carol listened as she heard a rattle and the phone drop. She looked at the time and knew it wouldn't be long until they picked her up, she was finishing up her notes and ringing patients with results of tests. She didn't know if she should stay on the line for official confirmation or not of what was happening or not. She heard Daryl low tones in the back ground and his voice come onto the phone.

"Ya there?" Daryl's husky tone come over the phone.

"Yes."

"So I thought we go out to get a trailer of sand for this sandbox me and Soph made. You wanna come?" She could hear his voice tinkling over the phone as they both could hear Sophia still making clucking noises.

Carol listened to his words washing over her. "Will it be open?"

"Yeah. I gotta swing by Merles and borrow his trailer. Then we are good to go."

Carol looked at the time and it wasn't far off her finishing time. "I'll be done in about fifteen minutes."

"Ok I'll pick you up soon, will you be out front or do we need to come in?'"

"I'll keep my eye on the car park... has she been good?" Carol wondered all day how they got on after the mornings mishap.

"Perfect, we will see you soon... hope you didn't mind us ringing you at work. Soph wanted to tell you about everything." Daryl told her, "She said she never rung you at work and she seemed so excited about everything."

"I don't mind. Thanks for letting me know." Carol smiled into the phone, she couldn't help it she was grinning from ear to ear. "Bye Daryl..." Carol hung up from the phone. She finished up the rest of her notes on the computer then she shut it all down. Michonne tapped on the door of the office and stuck her head in.

"Merle will be here soon to help me lock up are you done?"

"I'm finished right now and Daryl and Soph will be here soon." Carol told her, Michonne nodded with a knowing smile.

"Daryl's coming to pick you up?" Michonne asked she had the biggest shit eating grin on her face. "Don't forget all your samples."

"Michonne... just in case... I'm not going to sleep with him." Carol told her. Michonne just smiled and nodded, "I'm not!"

"You keep telling yourself that, I'll walk you out." Michonne had already said goodbye to the practice nurse and receptionist for the evening and usually Merle or Shane come to help them lock up due to there being drugs on the premises and that there were only two female doctors left at the end of the day for the last half an hour. Merle usually picked their children up from school or daycare or the sitters house before coming to pick Michonne up. If he was working Shane or Rick come to help lock up and Michonne did the child run.

"If we really need to talk about birth control maybe we should be talking about you and Merle." Carol said to Michonne as they walked down to the front door.

"I want him to get the snip but he's worried about you seeing his penis." Michonne said. Carol was one or the only doctors in the area that did the snip for men in a hundred miles.

"I've seen it... more than once, besides I only need to see his balls, he could put a band-aid on the rest." Carol said with a twist on her mouth.

"I'm going to tell him you said that."

Both women come to a stop at the front door and sighed. Daryl and Merle were in the now empty car park and Daryl had Sophia balanced on his shoulders and on his hip Merle's two year old. Merle was holding their baby and the rest of the Dixon tribe was playing around the men.

"Tell me that sight doesn't make your ovaries ache." Michonne stated.

"Your ovaries no... mine a little bit." Carol had administered an injection to Michonne herself after their last baby. How they managed to juggle all their kids. Michonne was still breast feeding slipping out a couple of times a day to feed the baby or the nanny brought her in for a feed. Michonne also pumped one bottle a day. Carol had no idea how she did it all without losing her mind. Just having Sophia and pumping and feeding in those first few months back to work Carol thought she left her brain on the bus somewhere. Working mothers had so much to do but Michonne and Merle seemed to never have any issues with anything. Carol always had problems with Sophia. Part of her plan to have a live in nanny hopefully would fix all those problems.

Only now having a nanny brought with it a whole lot of new problems like she would wouldn't mind accidentally walking into the bathroom while he was showering or maybe she was going to find time to go and actually buy a bra that wasn't old and graying or her underwear. She didn't even know why she was even thinking about it right now while he was only standing there talking with his brother.

"He is adorable and he moved back to help us with the kids while I help dad." Michonne told her, Carol had heard a bit of the story about what was going on from Daryl. Michonne told her they were getting some help with the kids. She didn't know the in's and outs of it all and now Daryl was here she could see how the kids were with him. How Sophia was with him. She could see already that Sophia adored him, she never seen her little girl look so happy and all she was doing was sitting on his shoulders watching the older Dixon children play.

Merle spotted them walked forward and passed the baby to Carol and went inside to help Michonne lock the building up. Carol smiled at the baby girl and walked towards her uncle. She looked up at Sophia who was smiling away. Daryl still had the toddler on his hip.

"Are ya ready?" he asked.

"I am finished, what are we doing?"

"Just getting sand. I promised Sophia we would get the sand tonight. We got it all done, you don't mind do you?" Daryl moved slightly his hand on Sophia's leg and his other arm supporting the toddler on his hip.

"Why would I mind?" Carol smiled, "how did you manage it all?"

"Shovel and there was some wood behind the shed. Sophia been great, she even helped nail it together." Daryl told her. Merle and Michonne come out of the clinic and gathered all their children together. Merle took the toddler from Daryl and put him in the car seat in Michonne's car. Carol watched as they moved like clockwork getting their kids together and not seeming like they had a care in the world. No drama, no hassle. Carol didn't know how they did it because she had issues sometimes even getting Sophia to take a bath.

Daryl helped Sophia down off his shoulders then into her car seat. He held the keys out to Carol so she could drive her own car. She waved them away and settled herself in the passenger seat. Daryl followed Merle and Michonne to their place to grab their trailer then they headed off too get sand. Sophia talked non stop about the sand pit and sand. Daryl told her quietly that they probably wouldn't finish it tonight but tomorrow they would go and get some toys for it. Carol listened to the easy way Daryl talked to her daughter. She couldn't help but smile at the easy banter between them.

Daryl took over the whole sand business with Sophia at his side. Then when they arrived home he handed Carol a spade and told her to get stuck in. Carol looked down at her clothes with a smile. "Hang on, I need to change."

Carol ducked away and changed into jean's and a tee shirt. She walked through the kitchen to go out the back door to the back yard when she back tracked and opened the oven to a wonderful smell. He'd cooked dinner! Now she was going to have to tie him up and keep him there forever. She couldn't remember the last time she or Sophia had a hot meal at dinner time. She normally spent Sunday afternoon making a casserole and a couple of other meals to freeze into single serve sizing for her and Sophia. So all she had to do when she arrived home was to throw them in the mircowave.

Daryl stuck his head in the back door and saw her with her head in the oven. He took in the smile on her face. "It's nearly ready, hope you don't mind... you never said what you actually wanted me to do chore wise as the nanny so I thought I better make dinner ... or you might fire me." he gave her a wink.

"I'm not going to fire you... and you don't have to apologize for making dinner. I haven't come home to a home cooked meal... since I left home." Carol's face twisted a bit as she remembered the issues with her parents. "We normally just defrost something."

"Sophia told me because she wondered what we were doing when we were stuffing the chicken." Daryl walked in. Carol shut the oven and watched him walking over. "Carol... are you ok... after everything today?"

"I'm fine... I'm really good. I'm going to help you with the sand and then ... I have to run to the store." Carol told him, she pointed outside and they both went outside to help Sophia who was painstakingly shifting one shovel load of sand at a time into the sand pit. She was filthy. She looked sun kissed and most importantly she looked happy for the first time in a long time when she come home from work. It was all Daryl. She was lucky that he applied for the job, even more lucky when she watched him bending over trying to get some sand off the ground that Sophia dropped down there.


	6. Chapter 6

They had dinner then Carol threw a dirty four year old in the shower. She was dirty and happy. Happier than she'd ever been left with a nanny, Daryl had involved her in every step of the day and never tired of her constant questions. He didn't even appear to mind that everything took five times longer with Sophia helping him. He just let her help and guided her quietly to the way he wanted it done. Carol was impressed. She gone to the bank at lunch time to get him some money she didn't know if she was underpaying him for his services.

She cuddled her little girl, read her a story which she fell asleep during and Carol kissed her head and slipped out of the room. She pulled out her wallet out of her bag to pay him. Carol counted out the money and went to find Daryl. She walked through her spotless kitchen and she could she he'd cleaned up after dinner. She picked up her pager and went looking for him. She stepped out the back door looking for him. She saw him standing down the back of the yard walking the fence. He was pushing on it and she could only think that he was checking it out. Making sure it didn't have any broken bits.

"Daryl." She called out. He turned looking at her, he'd taken off his shirt and was walking around in a singlet and jean's that were hanging low because he'd also taken off his belt at some stage. Carol bit her lip as she walked towards him - he looked just a tiny bit sexy and her libido kicked into gear looking at him. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and indicated to one that was sitting on the fence that he had made for her. They were dancing around each other, they both had been taking sneaky looks at each other since they arrived home. "Sophia's asleep, you wore her out today."

"She's a good kid. You still popping out?" he asked her.

"You know... I might go do it at lunch time tomorrow." Carol thought about the underwear she was going to buy. If nothing else but to make her feel more confident. Something about Daryl made her feel... flustered and just a tiny bit horny. She couldn't help it. There was just something about that man especially when he was holding her daughter. Shane had carried Sophia around a great deal and they once last year had tried a kiss but it did feel like kissing her brother and they left things with no hard feelings at all. But Daryl.

"You know I'm happy to pick up anything you need, I guess I'm the house keeper come nanny." Daryl offered her. He looked around the yard and could see a great deal of things that needed to be done. He and Sophia were going to plant a garden, Sophia already talked him into it when they went to get the wood for the sandpit she'd seen seeds and things for sale and told Daryl they could grow carrots. He'd told her that they could grow whatever they wanted to grow.

Carol blushed and grabbed her drink off the fence to try stop the conversation. "What are you looking at the fence for? Is there something wrong?'"

She brought the house on a whim, getting the loan from the bank on top of the money she still owe for her share of the medical center. She made enough to cover everything and she knew the house was in good repair but needed some updating paint wise but the fence she never gave even a look at it. She barely had enough to pay a nanny right now and she was cutting corners everywhere she could.

"Just a few rotten boards, I can fix it though. Me and Soph will fix it after we put the final touches on the sand pit." He told her. Carol knew they were talking about a play hut above the sand box. She didn't know how much it was all going to cost her because she was already on a tight budget.

"I can't really afford a new fence or to fix it. I don't know if I can even afford to pay for the sand." Carol admitted to him.

"Don't worry about paying for the sand. He owed me a favor anyway." Daryl said. "And I'm getting the wood for the play hut on another favor."

"What sort of favors?" Carol was sort of interested on how he was getting things for free.

"Um... babysitting." Daryl gave a low chuckle, he didn't even look embarrassed about it. Why would he she thought she had done a tiny little bit of snooping on google about him, he was famous and he made quite a bit of money with his baby whispering thing he had going on. She still couldn't believe after reading all about him he was looking after Sophia. She also did some snooping on his blog all the comments from different women asking for dates and that they wished he would be their baby's daddy, she was worried she was going to lose him as quick as she got him to work for her. "I get a lot of people asking for baby sitting in town when they know I'm about so I'm working on perks right now. I even got my eye on the guy at the paint store apparently his wife just had twins."

"You are going to baby sit to help me fix up the house?"

"Got nothing better to do." He shrugged and then said, "Promise Merle I'd be about until Michonne's dad... you know, he told me you needed a nanny and didn't have much money and I didn't want to stay at their place or buy something so I guess I'm all yours to use as you wish for the next six months... " He actually winked at her. "I can fix some stuff up, I'm not keep on sleeping in a orange bedroom for any longer than I have too. What color is the walls in your room?"

Carol opened her mouth, he was flirting with her hard.

"Are you asking to swap rooms?" Carol asked innocently.

Daryl took a sip of his coffee and licked his lip after he took the cup away from his mouth. "Something like that."

"And I suppose you want my bed too because your's is too small?" Carol asked him, she couldn't believe they were doing this standing by the sandpit.

"Depends... I don't mind squeezing up." He gave her an award winning smile, he took half a step towards her. Then there was a beeping sound coming from Carol's butt.

"Uhuh... oh fuck!" Carol reached behind her pulling out her pager. "I'm on call."

She turned and headed back into the house looking for her phone. Shane pulled up her drive as she run out the door with her bag, Shane looked like he was coming off a shift when he got paged.

"Car accident, I'll be home when I get home... I'll call if its going to be really late... I put your money on the table." Carol called out then she waved and climbed into the car beside Shane. Daryl watched her leave with the handsome cop who lived down the road who just happened to come to pick her up to take her to where she needed to go. He stood drinking his coffee and wondered if she would notice that he decided to swap rooms with her tonight. He was really interested for the first time in years he was really interested. That kiss they shared last night had been playing on his mind all day long. He couldn't believe that she was the same single mum that his brother had been trying to set him up with for so long. He really needed to listen to Merle more often.


	7. Chapter 7

Daryl clock watched for three hours before giving up and going to bed. He left the lights on so she could find her way and not come home in the dark. She had keys so she could let herself in. He flicked her off a text to her phone letting her know he was going to take a shower and go to bed. She didn't reply straight away or reply at all. He just assumed she was at the hospital still.

He didn't mean to snoop he was just picking up stuff that was lying about. He dropped his clothes in the washing basket in the bathroom. He stood there scratching himself and looking about the bathroom. He grabbed a towel from under the sink and then turned the shower on. He looked around the bathroom not really taking much notice that morning he opened the cupboards to look to see what was in there. He opened the cupboard with the mirror and was met with boxes of tampons and makeup.

Did she use all those lip glosses - her lips were something that he had been staring at the often enough since he had kissed them the day before. There was some perfume he picked it up and turned it over in his hand and sniffed it. She'd been wearing it yesterday, he had smelt it on her skin. There was deodorants and a few odds and ends that she had put in there. Clearly she had unpacked the bathroom stuff because she needed it for work. He started picking up different things looking at them.

He knew he was being a complete snoop and he knew that she wouldn't want him reading the directions on the back of her tampon box. It was all just there. He put his shaving stuff beside her box of tampons and wondered what she would think when she opened it up to grab something from the cupboard looking for one of the ten lip glosses in there. Carol probably wouldn't be happy with him standing there naked going through all her stuff.

The top drawer didn't hold much excitement, to be honest the whole bathroom didn't hold anything too exciting at all. He didn't know what he expected to find. Maybe something to tell him a little more about the women who he was beginning to become infatuated with.

He stepped into the shower to wash the day's dirt off himself and tried to ignore the fact that his dick was telling him to do something about his problem. He washed his hair and his body. He put both his hands on the wall letting the water run over him. He thought he heard a noise and then there was a tap at the door.

"Come in!" Daryl called out, he knew it would be Carol, the door creaked open.

"I just thought I'd let you know I'm home." She told him quietly, "Has Soph been ok?"

"Hasn't woken. Everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm going to get a drink and go to bed, night..." Carol shut the door.

Daryl finished his shower really fast and wrapped a towel around himself. He was making his way to his bedroom to throw some clothes on. He was half way down the hall when Carol come back down the hall. She was carrying the bag that Michonne gave her. She quickly hid it behind her back, she looked guilty when she looked at him.

"Whats in the bag?" Daryl was well aware he was standing there naked bar a towel, her eye's hit every point of his body, chest, stomach, glance to the towel area. Her flushed face come back up to hers. She blushed and then shook her head.

"Nothing... I'm looking after it for ... Michonne." Carol told him. She held the bag tight, she didn't know the bag was upside down behind her back and a condom dropped to the ground behind her. He looked at it and said nothing.

"Michonne, for her birthday or something?" Daryl asked her, he folded his arms across his chest. He didn't know her well enough to tell her he knew she was lying. "Alright then so... if you need me to give you a hand with whatever is in the bag let me know, I'm happy to give you a hand."

"Its fine, thanks for that." Carol tried to step past him. Carol stood and waited for him to move he gave her a sly smile and nodded to the floor behind her. "I think Michonne might have her own birth control sorted. Well just based on what Merle said anyway."

Carol turned around and stared at the condom on the floor, she glanced back to Daryl who was still standing there leaning against the wall watching her.

"That's not mine!"

"Ya sure?" Daryl reached out and grabbed the paper bag she was clutching and condoms fell slowly to the ground like confetti.

"That's not mine! Those aren't mine!"

"Ok then, lets just gather all these up and I'll grab them and take them off to Merle tomorrow."

"No, I um..." Carol bent down and gathered them all up and tried to put them in the bag. Daryl left her for a few moments going into his room and coming out in a pair of jeans to help her pick up the condoms on the floor. "Its not what you think." She blurted out.

"You think you know what I'm thinking?"

"No I think that ... I'm going to just say... they are for someone. That's all your are getting."

"Carol, are you seeing Shane?" Daryl asked her. He didn't know, he was hoping she brought the condoms home because they might be going to use them. The chemistry between them was insane but if she was seeing someone else he wanted to accidentally rip all the condom wrappers so they couldn't' be used.

"I'm not seeing anyone." Carol glanced at him. "I told you that last night, you think I would have let you... kiss me if I was seeing someone?"

"I don't know... no... I don't know... You have all the condoms?" He was asking her about them.

"Michonne's idea of a joke." Carol tried to blame Michonne for her taking all the condom samples. "She though... well you know... she heard about the kiss and she thought she was funny."

They both stood there for a few seconds staring at each other. Carol wanted to climb him like a tree and he look smoking hot in just his jeans. She could tell he wasn't wearing any underwear and he looked damn fine to her. She looked down at the condom in her hand and turned it over. She knew she would only have to take a step in his direction and that would be it. It was insane to be so physically attracted to a guy she just met yesterday.

He was watching her turn the condom over in her hand. He started to lift his hand in a motion to step towards her when they both heard the sound of Sophia crying out for her mommy to take her to the toilet. The moment was broken and Carol handed him the condom to go take her to the toilet and settle her back to sleep. Daryl moved about picking up the remaining condoms and put them in the top drawer in his room. He pushed his door shut and dropped his jean's on the floor, climbed into bed naked and tried not to think about the missed opportunity. If he had of made his move three minutes earlier he would be in her bed right now waiting for her to come back. Not lying in bed with his own hand for company.


	8. Chapter 8

Carol twisted the slinky around and around making it walk along the kitchen bench. These old school type of toys had been slowly making an appearance in her house over the last week. She didn't know where Daryl was coming out with it all. He and Sophia were talking about a veggie garden and goldfish poop. She could hear them in the lounge. It was Daryl's day off and he was just back from Merle's place.

They were in the lounge playing with lego talking about tomato's and poop. Daryl told her the lego had come from Merles place and they could borrow it for a while. He had brought some other toys over. He even brought over a small bike that they had spare. Carol tried not to feel bad noting that Sophia really didn't have a great deal of toys and things to do around the house. Daryl had been great for the past two weeks they had been running like clockwork. The only problem was that her hormones were killing her.

Slink slink slink the toy crept along the bench. She had the phone up against her ear listening to her friend trying to badger her and Sophia to come out to dinner over at their house. Daryl had issued the invitation and Sophia had said she wanted to go to Merle's and Michonne's for dinner. Carol didn't know what to do. She and Daryl had been dancing around each other for two weeks and both of them having near misses all the time, standing too close to each other. One lingering look too long at each other. Seeing each other first thing in the morning and last thing at night, talking and actually getting to know each other. Without actually stepping towards each other to fall into each others arms she didn't know what to do about it. They were dealing with a smoking gun.

"Have a drink Carol and loosen up, Christ I've seen slugs move faster than you two." Michonne teased her over the phone.

"I can't drink I have to look after Sophia." Carol told her quietly over the phone.

"I'll watch her, she can sleep over here the night too." Michonne offered. "Breast feeding remember. Have a glass of wine and loosen up and then the two of you might finally get it on. Jeeze its like watching the bits of a porno where the guy actually fixes the washing machine."

"But... you already have to look after all your kids, its not fair. Besides how will we get home?" Carol asked. Merle and Michonne live out of town at least 5 miles. Carol didn't know what to do about it. She really wanted to go but she knew that she was pretty friendly if she had a drink and would probably just climb right onto Daryl's lap. Michonne knew she was flirty after a couple of drinks which was why she was pushing her to come and have a drink.

"Well there is the loft above the barn." Michonne told her.

"You want us to sleep in a hay stack?" Carol let the slinky go into the sink then moved it back along the other side of the bench she glanced over her shoulder. Daryl was standing there leaning against the door frame listening.

"Well there is a bed in there, and its warm, you will probably have to take off all your clothes." Michonne told her. "It will probably be smoking hot I would say."

"Michonne... look we can't come." Carol told her.

"Well I think you are crazy, you should come. Please other wise its just going to be me and Merle again. Please I need you to come and have dinner with us." Michonne asked her again, "Also I'm out of diapers so you have to come, and bring a salad and steaks. Oh and Sophia's over night bag." Michonne just hung up the phone leaving Carol standing there holding a phone. She glanced over at Daryl.

"So we going?" He asked her.

"Hmm. I think you both rail road me into this." Carol told him, she looked at the clock it was getting onto six and Sophia would need something to eat before they went because it would take them half an hour to get the things from the store and Carol had just come off a hospital shift. She now had three days off. Every third Saturday she worked a shift at the hospital and Shane looked off Sophia. Today Shane looked after Sophia and Daryl went to help Merle. Shane had brought her off half an hour ago about twenty minutes before Daryl come home.

"Well I suppose so, Michonne said she would look after Sophia and keep her over night." Carol told him, Daryl walked close to her stopping a step away from her. Carol looked at him taking him all in. She knew that this was like going out on a first date. "Daryl... when you come to invite me over to Merle's because you were inviting me on a date?"

Daryl looked away for a second and gave her a nod, he called over his shoulder. "Sophia, wanna sleep over with Aunty Michonne?" Sophia let a squeal of excitement out and the patter of her feet come running through the kitchen.

"Really?" Sophia was very excited.

"Yes, and mommy and Daryl are going to sleep over too." Daryl told her. Sophia let out a whoop and run around the kitchen, Daryl reached out and touched her arm. "You ok? We don't have to sleep over, I can drink coke and drive you home if you don't want to hang over night there." He offered her.

"No its ok, it will be fun. You shower first while I get some food ready for Soph to eat other wise she will be terrible to take anywhere." Carol opened the fridge to start making something for her to eat. She grabbed the cheese and ham and an apple. Daryl to her surprise started making her a sandwich. "Thought you were going to have a shower?"

"Well I thought I would help then we could take a shower." He teased her, Carol's face flamed. "I mean that we need to get her bag and we might need to take a sleeping bag each or something."

"How bad is this loft?" Carol asked him.

"Well if you drink enough its fine."

"Oh God."

"Well you know at high school when you made out in peoples haystacks." Daryl asked her.

"No, I never did that. Did you?"

"No... never... Merle maybe." Daryl coughed and looked away, "Anyway, there's no bed up there, its just all hay but its warm, I've slept up there a few times."

"I might fall out." Carol looked at him, she couldn't believe Michonne was going to make her sleep in a barn, she was trying to remember if they had pigs or something in the barn. "Are there any animals in the barn?" She asked him.

"Chickens, rats I suppose." He crunched up his nose when he saw her face. "I shouldn't of said that right?"

"Rats Daryl, its not the most romantic offer I have ever had."

Daryl just laughed and put the sandwich down in front of Sophia and grabbed her a juice box and headed down the hall. He called out "That offer of a shared you know what is still on the table."

"What's a you know what?" Sophia asked.

"Daryl's just being silly." Carol told him.

"He's always being silly, Uncle Merle told him ... he needs to shit on the pot or get off!" Sophia told her. "What does that mean?"

"It mean's Uncle Merle has a potty mouth!" Carol hoped she didn't bring it up again and it really did mean that Merle told Daryl to make a move or move on. She hopped he made a move.


	9. Chapter 9

"So we get invited for dinner and we have to stop at the store for stuff for dinner and diapers?" Daryl was trailing behind Carol at the store complaining. He'd slipped some beer in the trolley and suggested some wine. Carol had shook her head telling him that wine would give her a hang over. If she was going to have a couple of drinks she was going to drink the hard stuff, but only after her child was asleep and being watched over by Michonne.

"Quit complaining. Do you want chips?" Carol held up some bags of chips to show him, he nodded. He picked up Sophia and carried her as she was about to lay down on the floor declaring she was too tired to walk another step. It was getting close to the time when she would normally go to sleep. They looked like a family as they trailed around the store. Daryl grabbed some more bags of chips to take out. Knowing that with a bottle of beer he did eat more snacks.

"Of course I want chips... Carol did you bring..." Daryl followed her down the diaper isle. Carol looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Bring what?"

"Those things that doesn't make anymore of these things?" Daryl nodded his head towards Sophia.

Carol quickly picked up his meaning. "Daryl are you implying that I'm that sort of girl?"

Daryl blushed and looked at the ground and then back to her again. "Well... I'm just saying... you might just find me irresistible."

"What does irresistible mean?" Sophia looked at him with her big blue eyes.

"You, are irresistible." Daryl told her and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. Sophia laughed, Carol watched the man carrying her daughter around the store, he was right he was irresistible and she would have to watch that tonight. For the last week Sophia had been kissing him, Daryl asked Carol if she minded the kisses. Carol shook her head that she didn't mind. Sophia had been watching him kissing his nieces and nephews, Sophia wanted in on the cuddles and kisses he gave freely to them. Carol was a little jealous that he wasn't kissing and cuddling her when he greeted her.

"Your daughter is adorable." An older lady stopped Daryl as they turned into a new isle to get the diapers. Daryl stopped and said hello.

"Thankyou." Daryl said, Carol turned around at the comment used to people telling her that Sophia was adorable but she saw the comment was directed at Daryl.

"You are out late with your mommy and daddy, you are a lucky girl." The lady said, Sophia said something that Carol didn't catch but it made Daryl smile and they carried on to grab steaks and other small bits and pieces.

"What did she say to that lady?" Carol asked him.

"She said that I was extremely handsome and her mama was a lucky women."

"She did not."

"Alright she said that I am irresistible. Guess its the new word of the hour."

"You can't say anything in front of her, you know that right. She repeats everything." Carol warned him.

"Oh I know, I know." Daryl juggled the half asleep Sophia around in his arms and followed Carol through the check out and out to the car park.

"Thankyou." Carol said after she'd buckled Sophia in her seat and went around the back of the car. "For not making a big deal about what that lady said."

"Its fine, its happened more times this week than you know."

"Really? People think you are her daddy?"

"Yeah, they certainly don't think I'm the nanny." Daryl looked at her and gave her a little smile. "I'm not the nanny am I... I mean nanny's get paid."

"OH MY GOD!" Carol stared at him, she hadn't paid him, she grabbed her purse and started to run back to the cash machine.

"Carol wait... Carol, its ok." Daryl caught her. "You don't have to stress I was joking. I've got money, I'm enjoying spending time with Sophia and you."

"But."

Daryl grabbed her hand and towed her back to the car. "Come on Sophia's going to wonder what we are doing. We need to get you a bottle of rum or whiskey or something." Daryl gave her a big wink so she knew he had heard what she said to Michonne about being friendly after a drink. She gave him the shake of her head.

"I don't even know what to think... what are we doing here?" Carol asked him, she tilted her head and saw Sophia was sound asleep in the car, "What is this?"

"You want to do this here in the car park?"

"Well do you want to do it with your brother about?"

"Well... I think we like each other so... why shouldn't we try it." Daryl suggest. "Dating and stuff."

"But what happens after..."

"After what?" Daryl looked confused.

"I mean you are only here to help Michonne and Merle then what happens when they don't need you any more?" Carol really wanted to know about what would happen next. She really really liked him but she didn't want to jump right in if he was going to leave in six months.

"Well I don't really have a job... but I can make a lot of money, I guess if we are a good thing I can come and go? or you can keep me." Daryl gave her a wink. He saw the smile on her face and took his chance as he stepped in closer and honed in on her lips to give her the kiss he had been waiting two weeks to give her again. "Or you don't have to have me as a kept man but do we have to sort this all out tonight? You might find out I'm crap in bed and decide you don't like me any more."

Carol really laughed then.

"You can't be." Carol blushed, "Get in the car before they send out a search party for us."

Carol hopped in the car, checked Sophia and then they stopped at the bottle store where they got her a few pre mixed drinks and headed out to Michonnes and Merle's place.


	10. Chapter 10

"No... no... no..." Daryl put his hands over his face as Carol indicated to pull over to the side of the road. "Don't stop."

"I have to its not ethical from me to drive past." Carol put her hand on his arm. "I promise I won't look."

"He's doing this on purpose." Daryl almost pouted and pulled out his phone to call the police. Carol stepped out of the car to talk to Ed, Daryl climbed out to follow her and keep an eye on things.

"Tell them we might need a dart gun or something to knock him out." Carol was trying to keep a straight face as she approached the crazy man. "Hi Ed, nice night for ballet."

"Hi Carol, I can even do twirls... look." Ed did a spin in his tutu that did little to cover the fact that he only had the tutu bit of the ballet costume on and nothing underneath. He also joined it in the middle and his flaccid penis flopped from side to side as he tried to do dance steps in front of her. She was impressed as he attempted the nut cracker. Even more impressed that he had ballet slippers on and they come in his size. He appeared to also be wearing fairy wings. Ed jumped and twirled to the music in his own head. "Watch me!" Ed called as he danced along the sidewalk outside his house.

"Ed did you take the medicine Michonne gave you?" Carol asked him. Ed did a bow and a side to side dance in front of her, Daryl come right up close beside her. He glanced at the man looking Ed up and down. He sighed in that moment knowing that this was going to impact spending the night in Carol's arms. He wished he could wrap his hands around Ed's neck and squeeze.

"I took jelly babies and M&M's for dinner and the fairies come and invited me to dance. They brought me a costume." Ed turned around again showing her his fairy wings he was wearing. "flap... flap... flap... I wanted to do ballet but my dad said no."

"I know why." Daryl muttered from behind Carol, she tossed a glance across her shoulder at him. He become quiet again watching her try and talk to Ed, he was dancing and trying jumps as he skipped along the path. "He's must be on strong meds."

"He's off his meds, that's why he's like this." Carol told him as the ambulance and police arrived.

"We can go now?" Daryl asked.

"No... you go on with Sophia and I'll call you soon to come get me."

"Really?"

"I won't be long, I'll just ride along until he gets passed onto the hospital, its easier if I go because I was here." Carol told him, "Please put Sophia to bed and I'll ring you to come get me it won't take longer than half an hour."

"Fine..." Daryl didn't sound fine, Carol stepped closer to him and pressed her lips against his.

"I won't be long because I'm starving, I'll ring you." Carol told him, he quickly wrapped his arm around her back and kissed her again. "Spread our blankets out across the hay."

"You better not be hanging about the hospital drinking coffee or something."

Carol shook her head and heard them calling her name. "Kiss Sophia for me." She called as she climbed into the back of the rig. They had given Ed a shot and he was half asleep. Carol was thankful they had covered his modesty. They pulled out and Carol put a line in Ed's arm and started running fluids into his arm. Carol sighed because she would rather be with Daryl than sitting where she was with crazy Ed.

Daryl pulled up Merle's drive and he shouldered Sophia's overnight bag, then he picked up the little girl and carried her up the side of the house. He could hear the family talking around the back of the house near their barbecue area. Merle saw him, and called out. Daryl nodded and Michonne come over, she was carrying their baby.

"Bed please." Daryl said.

"Does she need the toilet?" Michonne asked.

"Probably, she won't wake though, can you take her?" Daryl asked her.

"You carry her upstairs. Where's Carol?" Michonne put the baby into the playpen to keep her safe for the few moments they were busy.

"Merle get the food out of the car." Daryl instructed his brother as he followed his sister inlaw up the stairs. "Ed fucken Peletier was doing a naked jig in the street in a tutu with his pecker and nuts flinging about." Daryl mumbled. "They took him away in the ambulance and Carol went for the ride along."

Michonne sorted Sophia out to got use the toilet and the little girl slept though everything. Daryl getting Sophia into bed and he tucked her in. He dug into her bag for her teddy she liked to sleep with. That was all he needed to do, Michonne watched on as he planted a kiss on her head.

"So, didn't think you like to get attached to your charges Daryl?" Michonne teased him.

"Its different, I'm living with them." Daryl whispered as they left the bedroom. They left the door open, Michonne stopped to check the other two sleepers upstairs. She fixed the blankets and they started to walk down stairs. They stopped to check the rest who were watching a movie in the lounge. Daryl gave them a wave and headed out to see his brother.

"Got all your stuff. The booze and steaks and enough chips to last us a life time." Merle laughed about it. "Where's your wife?" Merle mocked him more.

"Shut the fuck up Merle."

"Language I've got kids here. So where is your girlfriend?" Merle kept going. "Your flatmate that you like to kiss and dream about."

"Merle... stop teasing your brother. Be nice." Michonne told him. "Did you get their sleeping bags and put them up in the barn?"

"You still going to make us sleep in the barn?"

"Well Daryl I don't feel like you waking up every child in the house when you and Carol finally discover you like each other... so off to the barn you go. Next time we will let you sleep in the house." Michonne said.

"Be howling like a wolf Daryl, I haven't seen you this hooked up about a girl before. You thinking about settling your arse down?" Merle asked him. Daryl stared at his brother and he just wasn't sure yet. He thought so but it was early days. He and Carol were sharing a house with no big issues, they were sharing the care for Sophia and he really really had a thing for Carol. He wanted it to stay this way forever and he could help with Sophia until she left home. The only problem was that he liked it the way it was but he'd rather be sleeping in the same bed with Carol.

"Its cold." Daryl looked at her in shock that they did have room for them in the house. "We might freeze to death."

"Light a fire brother and I don't mean with matches." Merle told him.

"Don't be disgusting Merle." Michonne bent down to pick up the baby to feed then she was going to try get all the children to bed so they could eat. Daryl's phone was ringing and it was Carol he had to go pick her up. He was off down the drive before the other two even had a chance to ask if it was her. He was almost hoping he might have a chance to talk her into stopping on the side of the road and maybe do some necking.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry guys I do actually have this written and finished. I'm really not holding out on you all but its school holidays here in New Zealand its hard to write and upload atm. Thanks for all the positive reviews. I'm trying to write Ed a little different to he is in most fic's make him interesting at least... or just crazy. Lol. Thanks for reviewing ~Rambles~**

Daryl pulled up in the emergency bay to pick up Carol, it was starting to get dark by the time he pulled up. She was waiting for him to come and walked out with a smile for him as he pulled up. She opened the door and climbed in beside him. He gave her a long look up and down to see if she was ok or looking tired after her hour at the hospital.

"Sophia ok?" She asked him as a greeting.

"Yeah me and Mitch put her to bed just now. I'm starving right now." He threw her a look that could only be described that it was not food on his mind right now but really her. The look he gave her almost made her feel dirty, and sexy all at the same time. She was sure his impure thought were almost being said out loud. She reached out to touch his arm as he started up her car, his arm muscles sticking out of the short sleeves on his shirt. He flashed his eyes over at her wondering what she was doing stroking down his arm like that. He liked it and wanted her to touch him everywhere. He pulled out of the car park and started driving towards Merle's place, he made a slight detour on the way pulling into a picnic area which was secluded and empty right at that moment. He turned the car off then bit his lip wondering if it was something that she wanted to be looked at him with surprise as he suddenly changed the course from the direct route towards his brothers house.

"Daryl?" Carol began to question what they were doing or where they were going because they were not heading back to Merle's place. She looked around the picnic area and saw nothing very exciting around outside, the only thing that was exciting near her was Daryl, She reached out to touch his arm again. She sat back hard against her seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. She thought they were going to spend some time kissing in the front of her car. She wasn't naive and she knew that he'd taken her parking like they were at high school or something. It was a big step for her and possibly him also, for the first time since the first night and first kiss they had been completely alone.

"I thought we could do what normal people do on dates if they like each other." Daryl told her, he unbuckled his seat belt and turned towards her. He reached out and picking up her hand shaking it up and down looking at her to check she was ok with where their date was going. He leaned over towards her and pressed his lips briefly against her mouth then pulled back to talk with her.

"Necking? Shouldn't we be up at the look out?" Carol joked with him. He looked towards the hill in the distance where there was a look out that Sophia had been asking to go too. On a Saturday night it was likely for the local teens to be up there doing things that Daryl didn't want to even think about.

"Its full of teenagers." He moved to unbuckled her seat belt. He moved it away from her so he had a chance to touch her again. Carol gave him a small smile as his hand brushed past her breast. He even blushed a little when he did that. She looked down at his hand and she brought her other hand up to put it on his. She kept his hand by her breast.

"You sure Sophia is asleep?" Carol asked him, she turned towards him on her seat.

"Really out like a light, she missed the dancing fairy and all that."

Carol moved closer towards him, leaned across the hand break to kiss him. The kiss was hot, scorching as he worked to get her mouth open. He tried to pull her closer to him. He gave up and reached down to move his seat back. He started to pull her over onto the drivers seat. He grabbed the back of her jeans to pull her to him. She come willingly and wanted to be on his lap just as much as he wanted her there.

"Your too damn far away, come over here." Daryl had mumbled and he managed to have her seated right on his lap. His hands stroked up her back and he fiddled with her bra strap. He managed to unhook it and let her breast spill out of their cups. He tried to lift the shirt up so he could feast on her breasts. The drivers seat was tight and he hadn't really thought this through completely when he hauled her over to him, in reality he should have climbed over to her. She giggle slightly as the fresh air hit her breast. "What's funny?"

"Don't you think we are a little old to be having sex in a car?" Carol asked him.

"Not having sex. Just some fun." Daryl whispered in her ear.

"Well that thing grinding on my arse is letting me think other things. Shouldn't we go have dinner then we might not get arrested." Carol asked him. It was almost too late, she already had her hands on his belt. Her mouth was cashing cheques that her hands couldn't' cash and her body was reacting to him in a way it hadn't reacted to a man in such a long time. She managed to unbuckle his pants and she wedged her hand in between the denim and his skin. The noises he was making against her neck was driving her crazy.

"God, you are wearing jean's." He moaned about her clothes as he tried to unbuckle her pants. Jean's in a tight area were not the best thing to be wearing. Carol was sitting sideways on his lap still, she eased herself up as he managed to slip her jeans down over her arse. He was impressed, he had the jean's down and then he had an idea of how he was going to make this work. Carol crawled off him before he could stop him and pulled her jean's off completely tossing them into the back seat. She was kneeling on the passenger seat facing the back seat with her shirt half undone and in a pair of pink panties.

"Fuck!" Daryl hissed, he reached out to cup her butt cheek, stroking down to her thighs. Carol was leaning over to the back seat to open her over night bag, she reached inside and pulled out a skirt. She wriggled about and put it on with help from Daryl. "What are you doing?" Daryl was amazed at what she was doing she was actually making it easier for him to have access to her fun bits.

"Just in case anyone pulls up." She was too far gone horny as hell and all she wanted was Daryl right in that moment. She had him stroking her arse and he'd moved to the middle of the car leaning over the hand break, slipping his other hand between her legs to stroke her clit. She pulled down her own underwear. Dropped them down on the floor. "Right taken care of the jean's situation."

Daryl couldn't believe what was happening, he really didn't think she would go for the car thing. He had settled for the fact they would be making out in the front seat. Carol had taken it to the whole new level. He wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth. Carol turned towards him on her knees. leaning in to kiss him. His jean's were still undone, she encouraged him to move towards him. Daryl leaned over her and pulled the lever on the side of the chair and half guided her onto her back.

"Are you ok?" Daryl asked her. "You ok with what's going on here?"

Carol kissed him again and stroked his hard dick and nodded. Smiled even.

"But our first time in the car?" Daryl wondered about it, he wasn't getting cold feet but he wanted to be with her full time but he didn't know if she wanted their first time to be in the front seat of her car. He just wanted it to not be something she regretted at a later date. His hands were moving over her slowly over her back and down her thighs. Her hands were stroking up and down his arms then up into his hair. She just wanted to kiss him all night long.

"Or your brothers barn. Its a hard choice." Carol whispered, she kissed and stroked him, his hand went between her leg and started to stroke her. Slipping a finger inside her, he began to finger fuck her. She groan so loud in his mouth when he was touching her it was just about his undoing He kissed her again wrapping his arm around her kissing her touching her.

"How do you wanna...?" Daryl asked her, she answered him by leaning back and pulled him onto top of her. She wanted him on top of her so she could feel his weight and she could watch his blue eyes on her. His mouth was exploring her slowly like they had all the time in the world. They forgot that they were parked in a picnic area as she began undoing his buttons on his shirt and he pushed up her shirt so he could run his tongue around her nipple. Carol was groaning as his mouth latched onto her. His fingers prepped her for him. He started fumbling for his bag having grabbed some condoms from the other night in there. He managed to roll one on one handed and slipped into her.

She stilled underneath him adjusting to his size and length, it had been a long time for her. For him he was finally inside that warm wet place he'd been thinking about since he met her. He just about lost it in that moment looking into her eyes, he leaned down and kissed her slowly as he just stayed still inside her. She wriggled under him, then she managed to move her feet and rest them on the dash. Daryl smiled as he looked over his shoulder seeing them on the dash, while he was buried balls deep in her pussy.

His pants were half way down his butt and he slowly kissed her. He was rocking into her slowly and it was driving her crazy. They stared at each other while they moved together, blinking occasionally. She grabbed at his hair and pulled it, he bit down on her lip to rehabilitate. He lifted his body up of her slightly to play with her clit to help bring her over the edge, she was almost there and then she groan loudly in his ear. He kept sliding into her the wetness from her making him start to lose his mind as her body started pulling him over the edge.

"Fuck... Carol... God." Daryl came hard groaning and put his forehead on hers. "Carol... I..." Whatever Daryl was going to say next was cut short as there was a rap on the window and they both looked up to see Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh both dressed in their police uniform staring at them. "Oh fuck."


	12. Chapter 12

"I can't have an arrest on my record Daryl!" Carol hissed at him through the bars of the holding cell she was in. They had put them in separate cells to cool them down. They asked them both to get out of the car and put them both into the squad car. Carol had been pissed at her friends for going through with the whole things making go to the police station and putting them into cells. They put Daryl in one and Carol in the other, Daryl couldn't even try and comfort her. Then again he didn't know if he wanted to be in the same cell with her because she was pretty mad with him right now, she took some of the blame and he was taking some of it. They both knew it was because of Daryl that they wanted to taunt him before letting him go. "Call your brother and get him to fix this now!"

"I can't until I get my one phone call." Daryl tried to reach her through the bars to hold her hand or something. He was trying to offer his support at the same time he wanted to shake Rick Grimes until his eyes rolled around in his head for embarrassing Carol so much. It was all his fault, well he had put the plan into action rather than going back to his brothers he was the one who decided to take the show on the road. Carol was a willing partner, that wasn't what it was all about, it was now because Carol now was sitting cooling her heels in a police cell. He didn't think anything could top this for a first time encounter of a sexual matter between them. Carol was sitting on the cot now staring at him with a frown on her face. Her legs were crossed over her knees and her foot was bouncing. Daryl tilted his head slightly and he realized he could see right up the side of her skirt.

She saw what he was doing and growled at him. "Keep your little beady eyes to yourself."

Daryl just moved his head more to get a better look. "Don't be mad." Daryl told her. "I'm going to make them pay for this."

Rick and Shane thought they were the funniest cops in the world dragging Daryl and Carol into the police station to put them into holding cells for lude conduct in public. The night was quiet and they were the only two on duty, it was still early and really they were just filling in time until things started getting busy. Plus Shane was a little jealous when he saw Daryl with Carol like that. Even though he knew they were not even a thing he thought he could still be with Carol eventually if they tried again. Daryl knew they were not filling in any forms to actually arrest them. They were just teasing them and making them sit and wait. Carol didn't have any underwear on still and Daryl kept whispering through the bars to pull her skirt on.

Daryl put his head in his hands when he heard his brother voice booming through the police station. He heard the laughter of all the men back there. Daryl glanced over to Carol again she looked pissed off with him. He tried to tell her that they were just joking about arresting them for indecent exposure. They wouldn't do that to her because there were only two doctors in town and Carol come to all the call outs and he was sure Shane had a thing for her at one stage and he looked more pissed off at them than Rick did. Maybe it was because they were out having sex in the car and he'd asked where Sophia was. Daryl didn't know he just wished Merle would stop joking around and come get them out.

"Well well well... what do we have here?" Merle looked through the bars at Carol first then at his brother. Carol swore at Merle and he wagged his fingers at her, "Carol, Carol, Carol... what law did you break tonight?" Merle asked her. Daryl gave him the fingers and told him to fuck off. "Now now that's no way to talk to someone who's going to get you out of this jam."

"Merle this isn't funny." Carol tried to talk to him, "If you don't let me go I swear I will tell Michonne to cut you off... Or my fingers might slip when I have my blade near your dick... Your choice." Carol tried to threaten him. Merle put his hand across his dick and put the key in the lock.

"You are free to go with no charges... but you little brother... need some more time in the slammer to learn not to take your dick out in public." Merle twirled the keys around on the big chain taunting his brother.

"Let him out or he won't baby sit for you and I'll still make Michonne cut you off." Carol told Merle. She was standing behind Merle and she whispered. "I'm the only one in the whole residing areas who can cut your dick legally and get away with it. Remember that!"

Merle put the key in the door. "Intimating a police officer isn't ok." He told Carol.

"Yeah but what you going to do?" Carol told him.

They had to put up with the cat calls and whistles as they walked out of the police station. "Don't you fuckers have teenagers to go catch... for fuck sakes did you have to bring us in here?" Daryl snarled at them all.

"But it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun." Rick said looking at them, he was perched on the edge of his desk and sipping away at his cup of coffee.

Carol held her skirt down so not to flash anyone. She swore when she got Daryl alone she was going to throttle him for taking her out to the car. Daryl slipped into the drivers seat because Carol was mad at everyone.

"Do you still want to go to Merle's for dinner?"

"I don't know... Sophia's there and I'm starving."

"We could just get you some panties and go out and grab a burger or something?" Daryl suggested.

"We already got steaks, lets just go and if Merle knows what's good for him he'll keep his mouth closed."

Daryl started the car, he looked across at Carol and could tell she was still upset about everything. "I don't regret it... I mean I regret getting caught and them embarrassing you but I don't regret it." He leaned across and kissed her. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him some more, he slipped his hand up her thigh. There was a bang on the drivers side window.

"Now that shit right there was what nearly got you both arrested, move on please." Merle growled at them, he stepped back and watched his brother withdraw his hand and buckle his seat belt. Carol did the same and they drove off towards his brothers house where they were sure Michonne was going to be laughing about this for a while.

"Did I tell you the time Merle got caught in Michonne's bedroom when she was at high school? He run down the road naked with his hands over his bits while her dad was chasing him trying to load his shot gun?" Daryl asked her trying to make light of the situation. "He nearly got him too." Carol giggled and toyed with her lips wondering if she should spill some of her Merle and Michonne stories to Daryl.


	13. Chapter 13

"Oh look... its the jail birds," Michonne teased them as they walked up the drive, she burst into song singing 'It started with a kiss... I never thought it would come to this...' she bouted out lyric's to Hot Chocolates song. Daryl stopped and stared at his sister in law who kept singing and went into the chorus. Carol frowned at her and followed Daryl into the house.

"Shut up," Daryl mumbled, he walked straight inside and started looking in the fridge coming out with a beer, and a drink for Carol. He gave her the once over checking she was ok, she looked ok. She also looked like she was going to explode about everything. He knew he stuffed up their first time together, hell they really didn't even know what their relationship was. They also had Sophia to think about, what happened if it didn't work out, he would still be watching Sophia. The was as long if Carol didn't tell him she didn't need him any more.

He handed it to her and looked sheepish at Carol, "I'm sorry I fucked it up. First times sposed to be special not some front seat fuck where you end up in jail." He really wasn't that upset about the sex, but more upset that they got caught and instead of having a second helping they got busted. Now she barely talked to him after Merle banged on the car door and told them off again.

"Doesn't matter, I had fun... just I don't want to go to jail again, I'll lose my licence," Carol told him, she was still mad about it and he could tell. "And you probably won't get hired again for lude behavior and being caught with your pants down."

"Not worried about me... I've got enough to go on... especially if you are going to keep me like a kept man." He gave her a wink.

"Like a boy toy? Or a man toy?" Carol looked more annoyed than surprised at his comment. He didn't seem to pick up that he had said something wrong to her, she'd worked hard to get where she was work wise and she felt he might be mocking her or something.

"House husband?" He prompted.

"Husband..." Carol stared at him wondering if he was for real. He was moving really fast and starting to freak her out, she started looking towards the door to run. It was all fun and games earlier but now she was all emotional because of the events of the afternoon and being in jail. She was hungry and tired, she wasn't in the mood for him to joke with her like this right now. She was unsure what he was actually trying to say, she just wanted him to stop talking before she freaked out even more.

"Well... shit I might have put my foot in it," He saw the look on her face and realized that he was stuffing up anything he was trying to say, "So maybe you, me, and Soph... how about it?" Daryl offered her.

"Are you offering me marriage so I'll be the main bread winner and you get to stay home and play with Sophia?"

"Well... not like that... you can stay home and I can go out to work... I make a bit you know..." Daryl was biting his lip wondering why he said what he said. "I could work if you wanna get a nanny for Sophia."

"I don't want another nanny for Sophia, do you have any idea how hard its been to get a nanny for her... please... just ... I can't do this right now, we slept together it might have been a mistake, because I'm not looking for a husband or someone who might be looking for a steady gig... I can't do this right now... I think I better go home."

"Whoa whoa babe," Daryl stepped towards her with his hands held high so she could see he wasn't going to touch her. "I was kinda teasing you, because people joke about finding a rich husband. I'm joking about finding a rich wife..."

"So you didn't just propose?" Carol asked him.

"Um... which one would make you less mad at me?" Daryl asked her, he took another step further, the kitchen door opened and Merle walked in talking loud and laughing. "Fuck off Merle for a minute..." Merle backed out of the room feeling the tension in the kitchen, he looked from his brother to Carol and both of them hadn't taken their eyes off each other. The kitchen door clicked and Daryl started talking again. "What do you want me to say? I fucked up... "

"Did... you... just... propose?" Carol asked him slowly, "All jokes aside, tell me what you want?"


	14. Chapter 14

Daryl took a deep breath, "Ok hear me out... I think we got something here... I might have taken a joke too far... there's something we need to talk about."

Carol took a breath and steadied herself, "I don't want to move too fast... I've got Sophia and if things don't work out. I mean, we only known each other a short time."

"Ok... so can I tell people you're my girlfriend?" Daryl asked, a look flashed over his face that Carol couldn't read. She wasn't sure why he wanted to tell people she was his girl friend.

"Who? What people?" Carol asked him, "All our people know or see your naked butt tonight."

"Please... they all seen my arse before," Daryl waved the comment away. "Can we talk?"

"Thank you for being heroic and covering all my fun bits with your body." Carol thanked him, she wouldn't be happy with her friends all seeing her bum. Daryl did a stage dive covering her whole body when Rick and Shane tapped on the window. He yelled at them both to back away while he managed to pull her skirt down. She was just thankful they didn't pull the door right open on them, he'd managed to get his dick back in his pants before they come back to the car again.

"Yes... well one does try his best for a women in need." Daryl told her. "So we good?"

"Just don't ask me to marry you again." Carol growled at him. "I don't believe in it anyway."

"Don't you? Why?" Daryl asked her. He looked almost panic'd about it.

"I just don't... I mean if you asked me to have a baby I would have thought about it." Carol grabbed her drink out of his hands and left him freaking out about how she changed things about on him in the kitchen. He wasn't sure if she was joking or being serious. He was sure that was why she said she used a donor for Sophia. He grabbed his beer and decided to do a quick check on the kids upstairs, Sophia mainly before he headed outside with Carol to have it. He still needed to talk to her... talk to her tonight. He hoped he hadn't left it too long to tell her.

He walked up the stairs slowly wondering if Carol was having him on. In the past every girl he'd even looked at for longer than a one nighter would bring up marriage and Daryl would run. Now he was wanting more with Carol she was saying no and freaking out. Daryl stuck his head in the bedrooms, sneaking in checking on his nieces. Sophia was asleep on the bottom of one of the bunks in the room. The bedrooms upstairs were huge. Sophia was sound, he looked in the other beds and they were all covered and all sleeping sound.

"They all sleeping?" Merle was standing in the doorway, "what ya thinkin' bout?"

"Nothing..." Daryl crept out of the bedroom and they headed to the next room.

"Well then if you finished everything how about us having something to drink and lets just relax."

The brothers walked down stairs and out the back of the house. They were surprised to see Carol at the bbq cooking steaks and Michonne was fixing up plates of salad.

"If we had to wait for you both we would never ever eat... and I'm tired now," Michonne looked at her watch. They all were surprised to see it was so late. Carol told Daryl to grab her a plate and help her get the steaks to the table. She had finished her drink he could tell, she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. Daryl wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her in close to him to kiss her deeper. She deepened the kiss, he was still holding the plate of steaks with one hand, Merle started plucking steaks off the plate he was holding.

"Don't mind us... We will just get our own steaks." Michonne told them, Daryl sighed and pulled back, then put his lips back on Carols quickly. He kept his arm around her guiding both the plate of steaks and her to the table. Everyone sat down to eat, Daryl sat close to Carol and then he glanced around the table looking at his brother and Michonne.

"What?" He asked them.

"Just you two... you are so cute..." Michonne started to say.

"You are all loved up bro..." Merle said at the same time as Michonne.

"You are each others lobster," Michonne stated, Daryl frowned not knowing what she was saying. Carol knew what she meant but Merle and Daryl both had no idea.


	15. Chapter 15

"Are you seriously going to make me sleep in the barn?" Carol asked him.

They both had had one too many drinks in them as they tried to drink away their embarrassment from their evening. Michonne cut Merle off hours ago about having to many drinks, she had no control over Carol or Daryl. They both were extremely handsy and kissy with each other. Michonne was getting embarrassed when Carol climbed right onto Daryl's lap when she took her last drink. Merle looked over with amusement suggesting that Michonne should climb onto his lap also. Michonne had slapped his hand away and suggested that everyone should go to bed.

"Yip, come on, it'll be fun also we won't get woken up by little kids in the morning," Daryl had a torch and their sleeping bags. He had said goodnight to everyone and taken Carol by her hand around the back of Merle's place with only the glow of his torch. Merle hadn't even thought to turn on the lights before it got dark so now they were fumbling around in the dark drunk. Daryl wasn't worried at all because Carol was clinging to him because she was scared and didn't really know where they were going.

"I'm scared... what about rats and spiders?" She whispered. She was clinging onto his belt also because the only thing she could also get her hands on. She was scared but at the same time she had the giggles because it was only about twenty yards from the house to the barn. It wasn't like they were going on a huge adventure in the wilderness.

"There are no spiders or rats in the barn," he lied. "Come on."

Daryl opened up the door at the side of the barn and shined his torch around looking for a light switch. He found it and then led her to the stairs. She was still holding onto him, now she was scared of the animals they could come across in the barn at night. She got a fright when a chicken squawked when Daryl accidentally bumped into one.

Carol was surprised when they opened the door to the loft in the barn. She could see that the room that they were supposed to sleep in was actually a half renovated room above the barn. It was clear to her that she was being set up. It even had a bathroom with a working toilet and shower. She looked at Daryl and frowned.

"You knew, you just tried to get me up in the barn and you tried to make me think about sleeping in a hay stack." Carol nudged him. "Or did you think it was a hopeful thing that you might get me to have sex in the hay stack."

"We can still have sex in the haystack if you wanna?" Daryl tried to give her a winning smile.

"You just want to have sex with me outside again... is that your thing? Your thing that turns you on?" Carol sat down on the bed looking at him. He walked over to the bathroom and turned on the shower. "Daryl?"

"It might be... or it might just be that its your thing? You didn't seem to mind having sex out and about until we got caught!" Daryl teased her.

He took her hand and led her through to the shower, "We still have to use the sleeping bags though. They got a bed up here but we have to zip our bags together so that'll be fun."

He moved about undoing the buttons on her shirt to get her clothes off as fast as he could. He dropped his own clothes on the floor. "Come on..." He put his hand in the water to check it was warm enough to step in. He was thankful his brother turned the water on and it was warm. He pulled her under the spray with him. "You good?"

"I'm good, real good, the water's good we all are great just great." She wrapped her arms around him and lifted her head up for a kiss. "I'm still mad at you... so you will have to make it up to me."

"Make it up to you? Because I got you arrested? It will be a great ... remember when we got arrested story to tell people." He kissed her again and run his hand down her side.

"No we don't need to tell anyone because everyone already knows." Carol whispered. She let him run his hand down his side and hook his hand under her knee and pull it up over his hip. She pushed herself up against him moaning into his mouth. He was heading towards picking her up she could tell. "Don't you dare!" She hissed at him.

It was too late he supported her butt by wrapping his arm around her back and down to her butt and picked her up, she squeaked as he did so. He just chuckled at her as he positioned himself and slid into her.


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm going to time jump, I've lost my way, Hopefully I can pull myself back.**

 **Chapter Text**

Daryl stroked down Carol's neck once with his hand. He couldn't resist, stroking one finger down at a time. He was falling in love with her and he couldn't put the brakes on. He was tumbling head first down the tunnel towards the point of never ever being able to get out. Carol and Sophia were quickly becoming his whole world. They were the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last thing he thought about at night time.

Carol had pretty much let Daryl move into her bedroom, he was up and gone by the time Sophia woke up in the morning. Daryl was pretty much turning into the house husband that Carol didn't want and she told him she didn't need, he just nodded and agreed with her telling her that he wasn't. He headed out for a run at night leaving her to settle Sophia and sometimes he went over to Merles, coming back to the house after Carol had gone to bed. He was trying to do everything he could to give her space because while he was in the house he couldn't stop trying to please her or be around her.

Carol knew he was trying to back off her, she knew he'd taken what she said that night at Merles to heart, she didn't mean she didn't ever think they would break up. She just thought they were moving so fast that neither of them could explain what was actually happening to them. It was insane they both couldn't keep their hands off each other and they both needed to try figure out if what they were both feeling was the real deal.

They both were scared, really scared that they were about to jump in the deep end with their emotions and that one word that they were thinking about. "Love"

He couldn't count how many times he had woken in the night or stayed awake longer to stare at her while she slept. If she moved or opened her eyes during the night he would shut his so she wouldn't know he was watching her. She would wake up and would snuggle into him more. She wanted to get close to him as possible while she was sleeping but while they were awake she would try keep him at arm's length.

She was asleep on her side facing him. Her neck was amazing and he couldn't help but touch it, he touched a tiny bruise on the side of it. He couldn't believe they finally were together. He couldn't believe that they only knew each other a short time. He also couldn't believe he was wide awake watching her sleep when they been awake most of the night and they had Sophia being watched over by Michonne at their place while they were out of town.

Carol agreed to come away with him for a few day's while he had a gig that was paying too much money for him to give it up. They were being put up in the guest house of someone quite famous who needed Daryl's help with their children. He had agreed on the conditions that he could bring his girlfriend with him and they could be together. Daryl spent the day and most of the night with the new exhausted parents of twins.

Carol spent the day shopping and looking about LA on her own, she was going to a course run at the local hospital tomorrow to fill in her day. She was enjoying the time with Daryl alone not having to worry about Sophia, knowing she was in good hands. She hadn't been over to the main house at all but from what Daryl had told her no money was spared.

Daryl spent the day undoing the damage an unskilled nanny had done with the young family. Telling the parents to leave their babies crying in their beds. Daryl arrived to little broken hearts. Packed the old nanny on her way and went about showing the parents it was ok to hold their babies and babies couldn't' be spoil. He also was trying to pull in favours from people he knew and managed to ring a nanny he knew that would suit the families needs.

The nanny he had coming was funny, young and would certainly fit the young families lifestyle. Daryl had left the house telling them all to cuddle up in bed together and spend some time with their babies. The babies had certainly seemed relaxed when he left them heading for bed. He just hoped they hadn't missed the bonding they should have done with their parents.

He couldn't sleep, he was tired and they made love three times but he couldn't just roll over and fall asleep. He rolled out of the bed to stretch and have a smoke. He went into the bathroom and opened up his pack of smokes. He opened the window and leaned out. He was flicking ash into the sink running water down there. He looked up at the stars watching star's flickering over the sky. They were in the hills and the lights across the city were still flickering everywhere. He didn't think he could ever be at home in the city, but then he never thought he would find somewhere where he would want to have as a permanent place to live or a family he would want to claim, and to have more babies with someone, he just never thought he would feel that way.

He turned the shower on, he hoped climbing into the shower might just help him relax. He stretched and cracked his fingers standing there letting the water running over his body. Eventually Carol would say yes to everything he wanted, the only thing everything he wanted wasn't that much. It was just Carol and her daughter, that was all he wanted. He would be a happy man. Until then he was going to be the super nanny, or the nanny with benefits.


	17. Chapter 17

"She's going to be starting school, so I guess you can go off and do other jobs and she can go with Michonne's baby sitter after school two days a week and I finish early two days and Shane said he wants to pick her up one day a week too." Carol explained, it had been a month since they went to L.A and Carol had slowly been backing off from Daryl. He was trying to give her space but she couldn't deal with all the attention from him. Though went they were in bed together things become explosive. Michonne's Dad had died a week ago and the reason Daryl had come to town in the first place was gone.

"Are you breaking up with me or what?" He was mad at the mere mention that Shane had offered to pick up Sophia, like she had talked to Shane about this before him. He couldn't seem to get his head together to process the fact that she was breaking up with him and there was little he could do about it.

"I just don't want to hold you back, you should go and take on some more jobs, it doesn't make sense for me to keep you tied down here when we really don't need a nanny anymore."

"Or me? Are you saying you don't want me?"

"I think we need to calm down a bit, take a step back before we do something we both regret," Carol had fallen for him hard, but she'd seen all the job offers he was turning down, he'd left his lap top open and a list of jobs that he was in the process of declining. She'd come home unexpected from work with an upset stomach and he was out the back hanging washing on the clothes line. He'd left his computer on and she couldn't help but look. She felt guilty when he was turning down jobs that she had him keeping her bed warm and hanging out washing. Sophia was at the pre kindergarten class that afternoon.

"You need to write me a reference then, let me talk to Sophia... let me see her when I come back into town." He was making demands that she didn't think he would want.

"You can see her, ring her, whatever but I think you should go and take on more jobs... think on this a bit." Carol suggested, she waved her hand between them. She'd made up her mind to be rude and nasty to him, anything to make him go. Follow his true calling. "I don't want this anymore, its not what I want... I just got all swept up in the sex and you were there."

"Jesus Carol, kick a man while he's down why don't you... so how long do I have?" Daryl looked upset, but he was trying to keep his shit together.

"Tonight, I think its best you move out tonight, I'll pay you for your hours you worked."

"I don't need fucken payment for it, you paying me for sex too?" he hissed at her, "Forget it, I'll get my shit and go. I'm gonna pick up Soph and talk to her, explain its not her fault that other little children need me to help them alright, not her fault you can't commit to us."

"Its not what I want... I don't want to be involved, I don't have the time," Carol headed out the front door to her car. She had his money, she'd been to the bank and got it in large notes. She come back inside and went to find him in her bedroom. He was pulling open drawers grabbing at his clothes and shoving them into the back pack he wore on his back the first night he arrived at her place. "You can pick up Sophia and say goodbye, but you can't be mad at her."

"I'm not going to be mad at a four year old little girl, I'm mad at her fucken mother for pushing me away... again!" Daryl almost yelled at her, Carol could tell he was doing his best to keep his voice low.

He stepped around her as he took things of his. He walked past her into the bathroom to grab shaving stuff and his toothbrush. Then went into his original bedroom and grabbed his leather jacket and pulled it on. She just stood back as the man she loved packed up all his stuff within five minutes. He was standing in the kitchen zipping his laptop up into its bag and putting it carefully into his pack. He grabbed his keys, took the money in the yellow envelope that she had held out to him and shoved it into the inside jacket pocket. He thought about not accepting it but he would do something with it and he took one look at her and couldn't speak.

He just stared at her, shook his head and left via the side door. She stood watching him pull his helmet on. It was all she could do not to run out down the steps and demand he stay with her forever and cling to him like a monkey. He was pissed off. He started his bike off and revved it loudly to show his displeasure at what had just happened and speed off down the drive out onto the road. Carol sat down at the kitchen table and cried.

She didn't know how long she cried but she cried until her phone rang, she looked at the name ringing and said a tearful hello.

"You idiot, why did you do that?" Michonne whispered into the phone, "I've one very upset man in my nurses station,"

"I just... I don't know, he's missing all these jobs because of us, we don't really need a nanny anymore and ..." Carol told her.

"Well he's just heading out on foot to go get your daughter to break her heart that he's going to be going away for a while, are you sure you want to still do this?"

"She'll be ok, she can ring him, its not like he's been here that long."

"Three nearly four months Carol, I don't know what you are thinking? I have to go, I've got someone coming with a boil that needs lancing my days going to be complete now."

"Thanks Michonne,"

Carol moved about in a trance and decided that she was going to go to bed now and try sleep or do something until Sophia come home from being with Daryl. She lay in her bed for an hour then tried to read a book. Her stomach felt sick and she felt like she would vomit.

Beep beep Can I keep Sophia overnight at Merles? Please?

Carol stared at her phone and saw Daryl's text, he wanted Sophia, to spend more time with her. He loved her, she knew that. She had to keep her mind clear and stay focused.

Does she want to?

She's upset, I just broke her wee heart like you broke mine. What you expect.

Carol felt worse.

Ok, ring me if she needs me, I'm sorry

I love you, I love Sophia, don't do this

I have to. I'm sorry, I just can't be in a relationship. Drop her home in the morning.

Carol didn't have anything else to do. She opened a bottle of wine and sat on her couch and stared at it for a hour until she took it to the sink and tipped it down the drain. She couldn't stomach to even try drink her problems away. She cleaned the house instead. Washing her bed sheets, tossing out anything that needed too. She looked around hours later and she was finally exhausted enough to fall asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

"Do you want to talk about it?" Michonne stuck her head in Carol's office, Carol had been in her room seeing patients most of the day. Michonne's baby sitter picked Sophia and Michonne's children up from school and Carol had just seen the last patient out. Shane was going to stop by in ten to help her lock up for the night. Michonne had been hanging about waiting to corner Carol, but Carol had been hard to pen down all day.

"No, there's nothing to say, he's wasting his life away here baby sitting Sophia when he's got a business to run around the country side. Did you know he was turning down high paying jobs because he was watching Soph?"

"Daryl does what he wants to do, if he wanted to take the high paying jobs he would find a way to do both, it doesn't have to be all or nothing... I think you should rethink your position and call him." Michonne shut the door behind her and come across to sit in the chair across from Carol. "Spill why'd you really tell him to go? Don't give me any crap, I can see right through crap I'm married to Merle."

"That's it, I didn't want to hold him back, I don't want what he wants, he wants to get married and I just want to ... I don't," Carol told her, "My parents marriage, for me marriage is not something I want to do. My dad controlled every thing and even when I was an adult they tried to control everything, he did... my dad I just don't want marriage... I liked just doing what we were doing."

"Did he tell you that?"

"No... I saw him declining job offers so I let him go... can we not do this..." Carol shut down her computer and stared at her friend. "I had too, I didn't want him to be mad at me and blame me for losing his business. Also I didn't want Sophia to get so attached to him that if he had to leave or regretted staying he could just go now. Things aren't going to be as bad now Sophia's at school."

"You know Dixon men mate for life right, that he not going to stop wanting you all... Daryl, Merle... they have the same code." Michonne told her, "He loves you, I've never seen him want anything so badly as he wants you and Sophia, he wants what Merle's got, a family... that's all those two ever wanted. He didn't set out to be this big super nanny guy, he fell into it because he didn't have anything else going on."

"What actually happened?" Merle asked Daryl, they were home alone with the little baby and Daryl had her strapped to his chest, they were walking around outside doing odd jobs that needed doing, Merle was off work now and he had stopped off at Michonne so she could feed the baby before he brought her home. When he arrived home Daryl was still in bed heart broken, he'd gone back to bed after dropping Sophia off to school telling the little girl he would see her the following weekend because he had to go do a job for a friend. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he broke up with her mama and he'd been kicked out of the house more or less. He wasn't that mean. He told her he would ring her and let her know when he would pick her up. He meant it too. He'd made a commitment to Sophia.

The other children were playing about the yard doing whatever they wanted too. Merle picked up toys and and thought about mowing the lawns. Daryl was sulking walking behind him.

"I don't know... one minute I was checking emails and hanging washing on the line, the next thing I knew she told me she didn't need me anymore and cut off my balls."

"Really... I'm sure you still have them."

"I feel like I've been kicked in the gut." Daryl rocked on his heels to keep the baby asleep.

"Hm 'chonne will have the details by now, ask her." Merle indicated to his wife driving up the drive. She barely made it out of the car when children wrapped themselves around her holding onto her tight. They all talked at once and she managed to talk to them all before sending them back off to play.

"Hello my sweetheart," She walked up to Daryl to rub the baby's head and kiss it. "Babe..." She kissed Merle who was standing there holding a tricycle in his hand. It was dangling by the handle bar. Everyone could get the bikes out but no one could put them away. "So I talked to Carol. I say just ride it out... she'll come around."

"Really... why she kick me out."

"She saw your emails... she didn't really snoop she just read the screen and saw you turning down mega jobs." Michonne told him.

"Ok... new plan. I'm going to take some jobs." Daryl had a plan forming in his head. "She will learn I can do both. I can't stand it knowing they are across town and I'm stuck out here, I most well take jobs and do stuff then she might know I'm serious about her."

"What sort of jobs?"

"Well today I got offered the prenatal job for running courses in this state. Based in the next town over. Its a nine to five gig and one night class a week for expectant dads to come to." Daryl told them. "Then she will see I'm serious about them. By the way one class a week needs to be held in this town, can I use your meeting rooms?" he asked Michonne.

"Sure... you know Carol's the go to preggo doctor in town right?"

"Oh... really... fancy that!" Daryl said. "I guess she's going to have to work with me then one hour a week running this course. That's a shame." Daryl walked off whistling rubbing the baby's head as he walked back to the house. Merle snorted with laughter.

"This isn't going to end well." Michonne wrapped her arms around her husband and kissed him.

"No, you better not get knocked up again or we will have to go to a class with both of them." Merle growled between his teeth.

"Easy fixed. No more sex."

"No... you get your injection the other week?" Merle asked her.

"Yeah..." Michonne thought about it for a second. "Oh fuck... I forgot about Carol."

Merle tossed his head back and roared with laughter.


	19. Chapter 19

Carol burst into Michonnes office between patients and glared at her. She'd just arrived at work and found Daryl swanning around her work place carrying in boxes and stuff. He was parked in her spot and he gave her a flirty wink when she glared at him. He seemed to have the receptionist eating out of the palm of his hand and her nurses were fawning all over him. She was fuming mad when she asked what he thought he was doing and he informed her that he was now working there one day a week. Carol's stomach did a flip flop at his statement.

"Can you tell me why Daryl Dixon thinks he works here now?" Carol hissed at Michonne. Michonne looked up and Carol and gave her what she hoped was a winning smile. She told Daryl he should tell Carol he was working there one day a week but he just shook his head and said it would be a work bonus. He wanted to see if he could get under her skin. It looked like it was working, Carol looked really mad and Daryl better watch out.

"Because he does!"

"What? How since when... how could you do this to me?" Carol flopped down on the spare chair dramatically looking like she wanted to burst into tears. She didn't know how she was going to put up with him working in her office when she was working so hard to forget everything about him. She could smell his aftershave from the moment she pushed open the door of the doctors surgery, she swore he was wearing it because she told him it drove her crazy another time when she was licking him down his neck. She had to just stop thinking about him.

"I didn't... its the state pregnancy thing... the parenting classes, guess who's running them state wide. Daryl, and he's using the spare office as one of his bases. The main one is next town over, but I said he could use this one if it was better for him." Michonne opened up her top drawer and showed Carol the file. "I put one on your desk yesterday with a 'read this' post it on it."

'I didn't have time, you should of told me, and why did you tell him that he could base himself here?"

"Because he's my brother inlaw, I need him to baby sit sometimes." Michonne played with her hair, she tried to look innocent but she was the one who offered Daryl the spare office because it benefited Merle and her.

"I can't believe you did this without even running it by me. I broke up with him so he could move on with his life and work... he hasn't gone anywhere." Carol whispered, "I don't know why I'm whispering he's not listening at the door... is he?"

"He is working, this apparently is a huge gig for him. A big money maker. Its state wide and if he gets this programe right he will be in charge of it nation wide. Its a huge job... huge! You should ask him about it." Michonne suggested. "He might be able to tell you some more about it. Ask him why he took a job here?"

"I don't want to talk to him, tell him everything he has to talk about he can talk to you."

"But your the baby doctor, you take on all the pregnant mommies and daddies. I get all the old people remember, he's your boo not mine. Just talk to him about work. You need to sort out a working relationship." Michonne smiled sweetly, "And please don't bang him in the break room, management frown on that sort of thing!"

"You and I are management!... Dammit! I'm not going to bang him in the break room." Carol hissed at Michonne.

"Uh huh! Bet you a weekend baby sitting all my kids bare my baby that you have sex with Daryl somewhere in this building within the next month." Michonne told her.

"You will lose. You will. Cos I'm not interested in him any more."

"Is that why you come running in here the moment he walked into the building. Your looking a bit pale Carol. Are you ok?"

"Its just ... I ate something funny, I'm fine!"

"You sure... you don't want me to run any tests?"

"No... what would I need a test for... " Carol looked at her friend and Michonne raised her eye brows. "Don't be stupid!" And she left the office, she looked about and saw no one and she walked through past the nurses station and saw one of her nurses flirting shamelessly with Daryl. He was standing there with his arms folded slightly amused.

"Isn't there something you could be doing? Both of you?" Carol asked. "Daryl I'd appreciated it if you didn't distract my nurses during business hours. What you do in your own time is your own affair. I'm not paying my nurses to keep you company." Carol didn't know what was wrong with her, she felt like she was about to cry or something. She also wanted to slap Daryl for talking to the nurse. They were talking that was all, he wasn't flirting either, from what she could tell he was letting her know he was actually taken. Even though they were not together he wasn't out there looking.

"Carol, can I have a word?" Daryl spoke, he looked right at her, "We need to talk about these classes. Is now a good time?"

"Hm... in fifteen, I'm just going to eat something." She told them. She turned away from them wondering why she was almost crying again and headed towards the break room. She'd only been at work ten minutes but she already needed to eat three pies and have a strong cup of coffee. Damn Daryl Dixon... Dammit, how was she going to forget him if he was hanging around, stinking up her work place with his sexy arse and nice smelling aftershave.


	20. Chapter 20

When Carol arrived back at work the next day she was annoyed to see his stupid bike parked in her spot. He was doing it to annoy her, she had to park across the parking lot. She was already running late because she had to take Sophia to school and she had cried when Carol was leaving. She didn't want to leave her crying so she stayed and did a puzzle with her. Sophia asked about Daryl again and Carol told her that he might come see her tomorrow she would have to ask him. Sophia seemed happy with that answer and went off with the teacher to story time.

Daryl was leaning over the counter with those jeans that she loved on. She swore he was wearing them just to torment her. She tried not to check his arse out as she hurried past saying a quick good morning. Michonne and Daryl looked up and wished her good morning as she walked past.

"Carol... wait, can you get back to me on the times on to start that first class?" Daryl called after her.

The clinic hadn't opened yet so she did have time to talk but she didn't want too.

"In the morning, I've to pick up Sophia in the afternoons sometimes, its easier to do it in the morning." Carol told him. "Do you think you can stop by and see her? She misses you."

"Yeah, I'll take her out for dinner, you can come too if you want too?"

"No if you take her that will be great,"

"Tonight?" Daryl asked her.

"Yeah that will be great." Carol felt relieved, she been so tired, last night she fell asleep on Sophia's bed with her reading her a story. She'd woken up at midnight without having had dinner or turning off the tv. She woke because Shane had driven past and saw all the lights on and curtains open. He'd used his key to enter after knocking on the door. He had woken her up finding her asleep fully dressed with shoes on curled up with Sophia.

"You ok?" Daryl took in her face. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine... I'm fine," Carol rushed off to her office because she was in danger of flinging herself at him and begging for sex. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She pulled out her personal laptop and started to search things to get rid of her libido. There was a tap on the door and Michonne slipped in.

"What you doing?" She asked as Carol tried to cover her screen on her laptop, "You don't need that you just need to buy a decent vibrator."

"Is that your honest option as a doctor then?" Carol looked amused.

"Well no, I know it gets me off... and Merle gets sin binned a great deal for doing stuff, also he likes to ... well you know." Michonne told her.

"You know what?"

"Use it..." Michonne told her, Carol's eye's flew open, her mouth dropped open all sort of thoughts run through her mind. "Not like that... on me. Geeze you need to get laid, your mind went straight to the gutter."

"I don't need a vibrator, I just need to get that man out of my head." Carol complained.

"Or you could just seduce him in your office."

"Ok show me... I've never brought anything before." Carol told her friend.

"Your in safe hands with me Carol, lets find something that will tickle your fancy." Michonne giggled. She pushed Carol over on her chair and went to a site that she had brought from before. "Get your credit card out."

"You are disgusting I can't do that." Carol told her friend, it was to late Michonne was adding things to her trolley and heading towards the check out. "Dildo's? Who needs a ten inch dildo? How big is that anyway."

"I don't know," Michonne clicked on it to look at it, both women giggled at the size of it, Carol couldn't believe she was letting herself get talked into buying this stuff.

"Wouldn't a glass one break? You get glass up your privates." Carol whispered, Michonne looked at Carol.

"No, how many glass dildo injuries have you treated?"

"Well once in med school I saw a guy with a broken candle stick stuck up there... " Carol whispered, she got talked into it and she handed over her credit card to Michonne. She had no idea what Michonne was buying her, she heard a knock on her door and Daryl's voice come in. Michonne was typing into the laptop so he couldn't see what they were looking at. He looked surprised that they both looked embarrassed and were giggling.

"What you doing?" He asked.

"Nothing. Not a thing." Michonne clicked on the ten inch dildo and put it into the shopping basket as a after thought. She handed the lap top over to Carol. "Just check your online shopping, Christmas bonus, put in your card details, I already clicked the over night delivery ok."

"Thanks... I think." Carol told her, Daryl was still staring at her.

"What? What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you about this class can we talk now?" he walked in and sat down.

"Fine take a seat a minute. I just need to finish this." Carol tried not to blush as her eyes scanned over the page again. She clicked on a rabbit 'what ever that was' and went to the check out. She typed in her card number, Daryl sat watching her not knowing what she was ordering and she hit accept on her order. It had gone through. Just as the page was loading she saw Michonne had put the work address as the delivery address. Fuck fuck fuck.

What could possibly go wrong.

"You buying anything exciting?" Daryl tried to make conversation. He knew she brought a lot of things online for Sophia.

"Yeah I just brought a vibrating rabbit and a dildo." Carol told him straight face.

"You're joking!" Daryl spluttered.

"Am I?"

Daryl didn't know quite what to think about it all. He put his folder down on her desk to go back through his plans. Carol shut down her laptop so he couldn't tell what she had been doing.


	21. Chapter 21

"But can you come for a sleep over?" Sophia swung her hand in Daryl's he was taking her to have a burger for dinner. "We have your bed."

"Not tonight... maybe I can come sleep over if mommy's on call or something." Daryl told her.

"Can you tell mommy to let you come back to live at my house?"

"Sophia, I'm staying at uncle Merle's right now, that's where I'm sleeping but you know you can call me whenever right. You just tell mommy you can call me when ever you want to." Daryl tried to deflect her conversation of the questioning of him coming back to her house. "You can call me anytime."

"But they are having a daddy's day at school and I don't have a daddy to come..." Sophia told him, she pulled her hand out of his and stood there with her hands on her hips. "Tell mommy she can't come... she told me she would come but I want you."

Daryl didn't know what to think, or say. Carol clearly didn't want him to come. Sophia was digging in her pocket and pulled out a crumpled bit of paper to hand to him. He opened it and it was a hand written invitation to daddy's/uncles/granddad/special friend day. She painstakingly put his name on it. Some of the letters were upside down but he could make out it said 'To Daryl.' She was staring there looking at him with her big blue eyes Daryl couldn't help but agree to come. He looked at the date and time seeing it was for tomorrow and he knew Carol didn't ask him to go.

"I'll come... I'll talk to your mom."

"She's not a daddy, your my daryl so you can come." Sophia assured him.

"Ok, I'll be there. You can count on me." Daryl told her, she took his hand again and she skipped along beside him. Daryl shoved the invitation into his pocket. He was mad at Carol because Sophia wanted him to come and Carol must have veto'd it.

He spent the rest of the time he had with Sophia talking about what was going to happen at school tomorrow. He found out she made a special surprise and there was going to be singing, they also were going to eat something. Daryl nodded along. He then took her home to her mom.

He knocked on the side door as Sophia burst through it calling out for her mommy as she went. "He said yes... he said yes... he's coming to daddy day and now you can't come!" Sophia blurted out to Carol as she run towards her mom to greet her. "You said he was busy and he's not and he's coming and I invited him... so there!"

"Sophia... don't talk like that to your mom." Daryl growled her, Carol just glanced at Daryl and told her to say goodbye to Daryl because it was late, Sophia come and hugged Daryl.

"Mommy can Daryl stay for a sleep over?" Sophia asked her mommy.

"Um, no but maybe if you get through the bath real quick Daryl might read you a story." Carol told her. "Is that ok?"

"It's fine," Daryl told her, she started to head off with Sophia who was already stripping off her clothes as she run down the hall to the bathroom, the last thing Daryl and Carol saw was her naked butt running into the bathroom. Daryl reached out and wrapped his hand around Carol's wrist for a second and whispered. "I can sleep over if you want me too,"

Carol turned around and shook her head. "You don't have to do that tomorrow, I already told her I would go."

"You didn't even ask me. Of course I would go for Sophia, Merle will be going right?" Daryl asked her.

"I don't know, I better go bath her before she tips out all the shampoo." Carol pulled her hand away from Daryl, she was at risk of pushing him up against a wall and kissing the life out of him. She was getting flustered and he smelt so good and was being kind to Sophia. Sophia had been asking for days for Daryl to come to the Daddy's day at school but she had to get away from him before she did just that. What the hell was wrong with her, she just wanted to do dirty things to him.

"Do you want me to stay... you kinda look like you want me to stay." Daryl asked her.

"I'm fine... go make a coffee or something and I'll get Sophia sorted out."

"OK," Daryl told her, "I know you are thinking about it."

"Don't flatter yourself." Carol headed off to Sophia who was busy brushing her teeth over and over with loads of tooth paste when Carol looked in at her. She bathed her, helped her into her pj's. When they come out of the bathroom Sophia was dressed in her all in one pj suit, dressed like a mouse. Daryl was stretched out on the couch like he used to do when he was living there. He looked across at the little girl.

"Do I need to stick you in a hole somewhere?" he teased her.

"No... just read to me."

"Alright. If that's Sophia in there lets go read a story." He followed her to her bedroom to read her a story. Carol come out with her dirty clothes to washing machine. Carol yawned as she walked through. She sat down on the couch when she put the load of washing on. She only meant to lie down on the couch for a moment but when Daryl come out she was snoring on the couch.

Daryl stared at her, he looked at the time it was barely pushing seven thirty. She was activity snoring. There was something different about her, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Her boobs were nearly spilling out of the top she was wearing. He bent over pulling off her shoes. He put them on the floor and bent over to pick her up to take her though to the bedroom to put her to bed. She buried into his chest when he scooped her up, she trusted him he knew that. He loved her and she loved him, he knew that too. He just had to make her realize that she did, and stop pushing him away. Let him back in, or he was going to hang around like a bad smell until she couldn't resist him anymore.

He unbuttoned her pants and pulled them off, she wasn't wearing a bra so he left her in her panties and tee shirt, he glanced down her body his eyes resting at her stomach. He stared at it for a few moments and then he pulled a blanket up over her. He stood staring at her for a few minutes. He couldn't leave the house because Sophia was still awake and he could hear her padding down the hall to get a drink.

He pulled Carol's curtains and went out to see what Sophia was doing.

"Go back to bed princess girl." Daryl come into the kitchen, she looked surprised to still see him there.

"You said you were going away back to uncle Merle's," She held her hands up for him to carry her.

"I'm gonna stay over because mommy's very tired." Daryl told her. "Back to bed."

"Mommy falls asleep in my bed reading my stories." Sophia told him. "Uncle Shane had to wake her up."

"Uncle Shane huh? He was here?"

"He come in because mommy left the lights on and the curtains on." Sophia told him.

Daryl was sure now that Carol was pregnant. Her bigger boobs, swollen lower tummy, falling asleep all the time. They both turned their heads towards the door when they heard a knock. Daryl walked over with Sophia in his arm's and opened it. Shane was standing there. Daryl's eyes narrowed when he was carrying a movie and some take away food.

"Can I help you?" Daryl asked him. He squared off in the door way, with Sophia in his arms.

"Yeah... Daryl hows it going, is Carol on a call?" Shane asked.

"No she's sleeping," Daryl told him. He gave Shane a stare to try make him back off. He knew the other man was interested in Carol. He was telling him to back off and Shane was getting the message.

"So you're here..."

"I am here... and you are here." Daryl said.

"Right right. I was just on my way home. Night Sophia, tell your mom I stopped by."

"We will, see you around... Carol and I will have you over for dinner sometime." Daryl told him as he shut the door in the other man's face. Sophia wasn't sure what just happened between Shane and Daryl, but they didn't seem to like each other


	22. Chapter 22

Carol woke in the morning and she could hear her daughter giggling, she looked about and then at the clock. She couldn't even remember going to bed. Sophia was awake and she was talking to someone. Her heart sunk as she realized she hadn't been able to keep awake long enough for her daughter to fall asleep. The other side of her bed was messy like someone had slept there. She knew who when she rolled over and could smell his aftershave. Daryl.

Daryl also was getting Sophia ready for school by the sounds of things. Carol moved to get out of bed. Her stomach lurched and she moved quickly to the toilet. She was gagging when she heard a noise behind her. A hand offered her a cool wet cloth to wipe her mouth.

"I must have the flu... sorry I fell asleep, thanks for stay to keep a ear out for Soph."

"Your pregnant." Daryl mumbled from behind her. "Its not the flu."

"I'm not... I had a jab..." Carol told him. She thought for a moment and then remembered she should of had another injection by now. "I'm not... I'm not!" she growled at him.

"Uh huh you keep telling yourself that. Take a test when you get to work. You want breakfast hun?" Daryl asked her, Carol gagged again and mumbled something. "What?"

"Don't call me that..."

"Take a test, let me know." Daryl told her. "Are you going to be ok? You want me to take Sophia to school?"

"What's the time?"

"Nearly time she should be at school. Bell will ring in twenty." Daryl told her, he'd stepped back and was leaning on his shoulder against the wall watching her. He wanted to help her while she was being sick but he could tell she didn't even want in the bathroom he could tell. "I'll come back and check on you once I get her to school. Then I've got the daddy day thing at the school ok."

"Daddy's day... I forgot about that." Carol moaned, "I'll be fine, I'm not pregnant, I just need to eat right. I'll get Michonne to check me out when I get to work. I'll be fine."

"It's not going to be all day, I think it starts at eleven, I read the note on the fridge." Daryl told her. He held out his hand for her to grab to help her stand up. He pulled her close and held her. She didn't resist because she felt so lousy. "Take a test ok. Humor me, then we need to talk."

"Fine... now go so I can sulk in the shower."

Carol was busy wandering around near the nurses station, she was wanting to try and take a pregnancy test, other wise she was going to have to come clean to Michonne and get her to get a test. She couldn't even pretend to her nurses it was for her patient because she had no patients today. She looked pointedly at the two nurses until they got the message and left the area. She then ducked in through the supply room looking for a pregnancy test. She looked up at the chart of when she had her shot, she was a month overdue. Fuck fuck fuck. She grabbed three tests and looked about. Daryl was leaning across the hall waiting for her.

"You think I wouldn't know?" He asked her. He kinda looked amused that she was trying to hide the tests from her even though it was his idea for her to take one.

"Know what?"

"What your hiding behind your back... lets go see then, then you can tell me again how much you don't love me and don't want me about, when your carrying my baby." He held his hand out for the tests. "You wanna duck home and do them or do them here?"

"I've a patient in twenty minutes... here I guess."

She grabbed his arm and dragged him along to the toilets. She pulled him in then realized they were both locked in the female toilet. It was tiny, too small for the both or them. They shuffled around each other. Carol glared at him as he locked the door.

"Pee... into this." He handed her a sample cup that was on the shelf in there all ready for patients. "Then we can dip test these things. Do you think three tests will be enough or should I text Michonne to push some more under the door?"

"Shut up... you did this to me... shut up, turn around." She hissed.

"I've seen you pee before... fine... I'll turn around." He whispered. He hoped no one would hear him in there and come wondering what he was doing. He could hear Carol peeing and he started opening tests and handed them behind him one by one. He was putting the wrappers up on the shelf.

"Don't give me any more..." Carol told him. "Its done. Nine seconds and its positive... we fucked up."

"We made a baby... we didn't fuck up."

"But... we broke up... " Carol whispered.

"Are you off the toilet?" Daryl asked her, "Can I turn around?"

"Hang on... " Carol said, Daryl heard the sounds of zippers being pulled up and Carol tipping pee out. She reached past him to turn the taps on to wash her hands. "Done."

Daryl turned around and faced her. "We don't have to be done. Not really done, your having a baby, it didn't get there by itself. So what do you want to do? Will you let me come back home? To you and Sophia?"

"But you got all these job offers and things you were turning down."

"Fuck the job offers. I've got a job, we can hire a nanny if you want to." Daryl pulled her close and kissed her quickly. They both looked startled as there was a knock at the door.

"Just remember a whole weekend baby sitting if I catch you fucking in the building... surely there isn't enough room in there!" Michonne's voice come from the other side of the door.


	23. Chapter 23

"Lets just go out tonight and we can talk about it. You know I want you and Sophia, and the baby." Daryl told her, "I do, and please don't shut me out."

"What the hell are we doing?" Carol whispered.

They were still locked in the small toilet and Daryl just leaned in and kissed her gently on her lips. "Its going to be fine I promise. I know the perfect nanny..."

Carol elbowed him trying not to smile, "Ok, I'll have dinner with you as long as we eat in somewhere and don't go parking."

"No parking I promise. Now go to do your job because you need to earn more money to pay for this nanny," He teased her a tiny bit, she did however lean into him to give him a hug and kiss him back.

"Ok, have fun at daddy day at school." She whispered.

"Can she call me that? Sophia... if we are going to have a new baby?"

"You still want that?"

"Of course, from the first time we kissed that night I wanted to be a family with you. Its not even about the baby, I wanted that before you did the test, you knew that."

"Ok... If we keep talking in here there will be no need to go out for dinner." She kissed him again and they opened the door. Michonne was standing there with a knowing smile.

"I know I didn't win a bet but did you take a test?" Michonne asked.

"No we both just needed to pee at the same time." Daryl told her, he nodded and headed off to the front of the medical center to leave. Michonne looked at Carol who nodded. Michonne looked excited and then dragged Carol off for a blood test and to sort her out some vitiams.

"Sign here," A delivery man shoved a large package addressed to Carol in Daryl's face. He signed it and grabbed the box cutters because they been waiting on an order of equipment for the nanny program. He put the parcel on the desk and started talking to the receptionist and cut the box open. He put his hand in to pull of the equipment and wasn't watching what he was pulling out because he was too busy listening to what the woman was saying.

He placed the hugest dildo he'd ever seen on the receptionist desk. The receptionists jaw dropped open. Daryl still hadn't noticed because the phone was ringing and he leaned over to pick it up to answer it because the woman behind the counter were having coughing fits. He answered the phone holding a large vibrating rabbit. He was swinging it around his hand when he finally looked down from what he was doing and saw what was actually in the box. He dropped the rabbit on the floor, he glanced at the huge dark brown dildo with wide eyes.

"I think we got sent the wrong order." He excused it away. He shoved it back in the box along with the dildo that he couldn't fit back in. Old ladies were starting to come in through the front door so he shoved the lid closed the best he could and headed down to Carol's office. He didn't even knock he just marched right in. Took out the huge dildo and dropped it on her desk.

"Did you order this?" He was shocked they even made them that big. In porn movies maybe. Holy heck there was no way it would fit... could it?

"Noooooo... no I didn't order that all." Carol's face blushed like mad. "What?" She tried to push it away with her pen. "Why did you open that?" She hissed at him.

"Why did you buy that?" He picked it up and waved it in her face. It was wobbling side to side in his hand, a rubber smell was coming off it. He nudged her face with it because she was avoiding gaze. It barely touched her and she pushed away like she had been burnt.

"Blame Michonne I only ordered a rabbit." Carol growled at him.

"Michonne ordered you this? Why?" Daryl was going to have to wack Michonne over the head with the giant dildo also.

"Don't blame Michonne... Its your fault... walking around here in those jeans and smelling nice." Carol finally admitted.

"You are joking... you brought all this because you were horny." Daryl looked surprised.

"Just shush. Put it all back in the box." Carol grabbed at the dildo he was still waving around and he wouldn't let her take it. "Come on I have people coming in here soon."

"And you are going to have a giant dildo under your desk?"

"Stop saying dildo... don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Yes... throw this out..." Daryl dropped it on her desk, he leaned in and kissed her. "I'm interested in what else in in the box too."

"There's nothing else in the box." Carol tried to tell him.

"Bullshit!" He kissed her quickly. "Make sure you eat lunch and switch to decaf." He kissed her again and left to go to Sophia's school. Carol grabbed the giant dildo and shoved it up her shirt and raced through to Michonne's office with the offending item to ask her how it ended up in her parcel... also why on earth did Daryl open it. She opened up Michonne's office door because she knew she was alone and walked across to her desk and pulled out the dildo the size of her arm and dropped it on Michonne's desk.

"Happy birthday I got you a paper weight... It goes up this way." She dipped the end that could stick to a flat surface in Michonnes' cup of coffee and slammed it onto her desk so it sat there erect wobbling from side to side. "It's an eleven inch dick! How the hell did I end up with that? And what's worse Daryl opened the box at the front desk."

Michonne couldn't help but fall into fits of laughter and poked at it and it wobbled from side to side. "How would that even fit."

"Why did you order me that?"

"You didn't check your order so not my problem." Michonne bit her lip and laughed even more. Carol couldn't help it but laugh. Then they both had to try get it off the desk, in the end the grip it had on the desk needed a knife under it to get some air under it to get it off her desk.


	24. Chapter 24

Daryl arrived at Sophia's school not long after Merle did. He quickly found Sophia and she climbed up into his arms to cuddle him. Merle was busy with his two that were at school and tried to sit down somewhere where he would be just out of the way and hopefully out of the main view of the teacher to demonstrate what game they would be playing next. Daryl however was in full view of Sophia's teacher and got pulled up to model how to play duck duck goose with the kids.

Before Daryl knew what was happening he was walking around the circle of kids and parents including his brother saying, "Duck... duck... duck... goose," on the person who had to chase him. He tried and tried to set a good example but he wacked his brother as hard as he could on the top of his head saying Goose and Merle chased him all around the play ground to wack him back. Merle couldn't catch Daryl so he aimed for his ankles and took a dive, both men coming down hard on the grass.

The Dixon children including Sophia went running to see if they were ok. Daryl rolled onto his back and Merle rolled towards him grabbing his hair. Sophia hit them first diving on top of them trying to join in. Merles two dove onto them. Everyone was rolling around the ground. Merle and Daryl quickly realized all the other dads were looking at them like they had just been let out of the crazy farm especially since Merle was still in his uniform.

"Get off, let go." Merle growled at everyone, the kids knew the tone and all rolled off to the ground. "You started it," he growled at Daryl.

"You just shitty cos you got goosed!" Daryl rolled up on his hands and knees and Merle went to goose him from behind, Daryl knew that he was going to do it. He started running quick off his knees back to the circle.

They only sat back down to the circle when the teacher blew the whistle three times to get them back to the group. The dads were broken up into different groups to different activities and somehow Daryl got stuck in the arts and crafts group. He was sitting helping Sophia glue and make glitter on everything. Sophia was trying to put glitter on his hair. Daryl frowned at her but she just smiled at him and did it again.

"Daryl... are you my daddy?" Sophia asked him.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Because I want you to be. I told all my friends already."

"I'm your daddy, but not like Merle was there when his kids were born type of daddy, but I'm gonna be your daddy from now on." Daryl told her, "Is that ok?"

"Can you tell mommy that? That you need to come back and live at my house?" Sophia asked him.

"I already talked to mommy I'm coming back, tonight if you want me too?" Daryl told her.

Sophia mused it over for a moment or two and looked at him again. "Forever?"

"Yes... except when I have to do my job... then I have to go away and then always I will come back... to you and to mommy and any other brothers and sisters you might have." Daryl put it out there that there might be more than just her.

"But... I don't want a brother or sister I want a new lego set." Sophia told him. "And babies eat lego... uncle Merle always yelling about lego being on the floor and the babies will choke."

"Well if you do it on the table... then no one will choke." Daryl tried not to smile at the wanting lego.

"Well I don't know if mom wants any more babies... because she needs a fish and a egg and a dish." Sophia told him.

"Really."

"A daddy fish... no a sperm..." Sophia said loudly. Daryl nearly choked. That's what happened when your mother was a doctor, she gave you the correct terms for things. "Mommy said you need a sperm, a egg and a dish. Then I think she eats it."

"Righto then." Daryl bit his lip and looked around thankful no one was listening to them.

"Does mommy eat the baby? Because you shouldn't eat babies or lego." Sophia told him, "Do you want sparkles on your picture?"

Daryl looked down at the drawing he had been scratching out. "Hit me glitter fairy... blue please."

"So can I call you daddy for real now." Sophia asked him, Daryl nodded thankful they were off the sperm subject and talking about glitter. "And if we get lego, I know dogs like to play with lego and won't eat it... so I think we should get one of those instead of a baby ok."

"Ok... Sophia... you are a great kid you know that?" Daryl wrapped his arms around her to give her a hug.

"You are a great daddy... especially if you get me lego and a dog." Sophia put her head on his shoulder and hugged him back.


	25. Chapter 25

Carol looked out the window in the kitchen and she saw Daryl pull up the drive driving Merles spare pick up. He had Sophia with him still and he had his bike strapped in the trailer in the back of the pick up. She watched him and Sophia work together to get things organised to bring stuff into the house. She couldn't help but smile because she already heard what he and Merle got up to at school today. She could see a black eye starting to form on his face.

She opened up the door before he got to the top step. He had his duffle bag over his shoulder, he pushed his sunglasses off his face so she could see.

"Daddy's home." He announced as he dropped a kiss on her face. "And he's home to stay..." He called out as he walked through the kitchen. Sophia was dragging a bag up the steps for him.

"For daddy but its to heavy." Sophia told her.

Carol reached out to take the bag. It was really heavy, "Leave it and he can come get it himself. Did something happen at school today?"

"No... well they got into a tumble that's all." Sophia told her, she didn't dob him in.

"Anything else?"

"No..."

"You didn't give a sex ed talk at play time to your friends about how babies are made?" Carol was slightly amused that the school wanted to have a meeting with her about Sophia telling the kids that she was IVF and now she had a real daddy.

"Well I just told daddy how babies were made... he didn't know. And the other kids heard." Sophia told her.

"Really, I think daddy knows how babies are made."

"Really and he made me tell him again." Sophia put her hands on her hips. "I could have been playing with my friends."

Carol and Sophia walked through the house looking for Daryl and they found him spread out on Carol's bed hanging over the edge playing around with a clock radio. Sophia took it as a signal to jump on his back and try make him give her a piggy back ride.

"Soph you're hurting me." Daryl groaned, he rolled to the side to buck her off. Sophia held on even tighter, Carol come over and sat on the edge of the bed to watch what he was doing.

"Are you going to sleep in here?" Sophia asked.

"Yes..." Daryl said.

"No..." Carol said.

"Daddy's sleep in mommy's bed." Daryl glanced at Carol, Carol watched Sophia's face and she took in the news. Sophia didn't seem to be worried about it.

"Like Uncle Merle and Aunty 'Chonne?" Sophia asked.

"Just like that." Daryl told her. "Righto, lets go make dinner, momma needs something to eat and I'm starving." Daryl told her Sophia headed off down to kitchen, "Come here." Daryl stopped Carol from leaving by tugging on her hand. "This ok?"

"Very ok, I've missed you."

"Did you throw that Dildo away?"

"No I'm saving it for the secret santa and I'm going to rig it so Merle wins it." Carol told him.

"That's my girl." He leaned in and kissed her. They heard a big clang in the kitchen like every single pot and plate had fallen out of the cupboards. "We better go see what she's breaking." He held her hand the whole way through to see whatever mess Sophia was making.


End file.
